


Three Deep Breaths

by MissNMikaelson



Series: Three Deep Breaths [1]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-30
Packaged: 2019-05-17 07:23:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 34
Words: 48,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14827949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissNMikaelson/pseuds/MissNMikaelson
Summary: "I think I'd remember having a baby." Elena doesn't know what to think when the Original's find themselves in possession of her baby. A baby that has yet to be conceived. All she knows is that she loves this little one, but if she goes on to have her does that mean she is going to give up on the one vampire she actually considered a future with?





	1. Friday, December 17, 2010 Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own TVD or TO

Kol grinned wickedly when he spotted her across the dance floor. She was the very image of Tatia.

He downed his drink and began working his way through the crowd of pulsating bodies. Hands reached out and groped him forcing Kol to choke down the urge to tear off a few limbs.

Since waking up he had come to love the convenience of music anytime he wanted to hear it, but he could hardly call the wall of noise assaulting his ears music: it lacked true melody and composition.

No matter, though, he was here for her. He had missed out on knowing the last one, and he figured the quickest way to get under Nik's skin was to start up a flirtation with the doppelganger.

Kol decided to follow in the footsteps of his fellow party goers. Rather than turn her around and introduce himself he gripped her hips from behind and mimicked the rhythmic movements of her body.

The music was truly horrendous, but there was something to be said about the dancing. If he had to compare it to something he would have called it a mating display. Kol would not have been surprised if there were couples engaging in said activities somewhere on the dance floor; he could smell it.

Kol carefully started steering the woman grinding against him towards the edge of the dance floor always keeping to the beat. When he was at the edge he turned her around and pinned her to the wall.

The hint of fear in her eyes brought a smirk to his lips.

"Hello darling," he pressed his knee between her thighs and dipped down to kiss her throat. His fangs nipped at the skin and sent a delicious shiver of stone cold terror down her spine.

The fear only made her blood smell that much sweeter.

"Get off me," she hissed. She shoved his chest with all her strength.

It was futile endeavor that made Kol chuckle. He had thought of toying with the woman's emotions to torment Nik, but the prospect of robbing his brother of the thing he wanted most was, much like her blood, irresistible.

She gasped when his fangs pierced her carotid. A gurgling sound rose in her throat as he took long pulls of her blood.

He could just hear her heart starting to slow when a hand clamped around the back of his neck.

She slumped against the wall when he was torn away. Blood poured from her neck and she lifted a shaking hand to cover the wound before looking up at her knight in shining armour.

_More like knight-in-an-Armani-suit_ , Elena gulped and watched with wide eyes.

Elijah Mikaelson had her assailant by the scruff of his neck. With an unreadable look on his face he held out his hand and pulled her to her feet.

Within moments he had Elena and the young man outside.

She leaned against the hood of a car and shivered. Her vision grew hazy and her legs shook. She flinched when the younger vampire pretended to lunge at her.

"Behave," Elijah hissed. He took a look at Elena before biting into his wrist and lifting it to her lips.

She grimaced and closed her lips over his wrist. A moment later her head cleared and she was able to focus as Elijah growled.

She had never seen him so angry.

"What the hell were you thinking?" He closed his hand around the young man's throat and squeezed.

"I was just having a little fun, 'Lijah," the younger vampire smirked. His eyes flickered to Elena. "I thought I'd rob Nik of his army; he's certainly robbed the rest of us of enough over the years. Have you had a taste? She's delicious."

"Kol," Elijah forced Kol to look at him. The veins under his eyes blackened and writhed. "Let me make myself very clear. Elena Gilbert is not to be harmed. If you try to harm her again you will not be facing the wrath of Niklaus."

Kol's eyes widened in surprise; he swallowed nervously and cast a look at the petite brunette. He couldn't remember the last time Elijah had taken an interest in the life of someone outside the family. He could see plain as day that Elijah cared for this doppelganger and it was nothing like the last time.

Kol gritted his teeth and nodded. Nik was annoying and had a tendency to go on mad killing sprees, but Elijah was deadly. He would have done anything to get under Nik's skin and he would have down anything to stay in Elijah's good graces.

"I won't touch her," Kol vowed. He could see the hesitation in his brother's movements when his neck was released.

Kol turned to the doppelganger and offered a charming smile. "Terribly sorry love," he gave a slight bow, "won't happen again." His tongue darted out to catch a drop of blood on his lip.

"Fuck you," she shivered.

Kol chuckled before flashing off. He could see what his brother liked about her: she had spunk.

Elena watched him disappear; her hands started rubbing her arms. She tilted her head back to carefully look at Elijah when he settled his suit jacket over her trembling shoulders.

"Friend of yours?"

"That was Kol," he passed her a handkerchief and watched her wipe the blood from her neck. "He is my younger brother."

Elena blinked slowly as she took in the information. "You found your siblings then?"

"Yes and no," he shook his head and chuckled darkly. "Niklaus lied to me. He told me he had dropped them at the bottom of the oceans… they were in his care the entire time."

"You got played," she muttered.

Elijah had the good grace to look chagrined under her cynicism. "I owe you an apology Elena. I had promised to take care of Niklaus after the sacrifice. I betrayed you and you lost your aunt."

"You betrayed me for family Elijah," she crushed the bloody handkerchief in her hand. "Having now met three of your siblings I find it hard to understand why anyone would want them nearby, but they are your family. I would have done the same thing if it were Jeremy."

"You are far too compassionate for your own good," Elijah said. "I am sorry Elena. I hope you can forgive me one day; although I will understand if you choose not to."

"Were you not just listening?" She laughed. "I already forgave you for that. And even if I hadn't Klaus sticking you in a box for the summer would have more than made up for it… at least in my mind."

"I'm glad we can joke about that," he chuckled and shook his head. This human woman would definitely be his undoing. "Do you need a lift home? I don't see your car in the parking lot."

"Sure," she shivered when he took her elbow and steered her in the direction of his car.

"Are you cold?" He opened the door for her and flashed around to start the car. He turned on the heat and steered them onto the highway.

"What were you doing at a club in Richmond, Elijah?"

"I was following Kol," his lips twisted into a wry smile. "He has a tendency to…"

"Attack young woman on dancefloors?"

"Among other things," he sighed. "What were you doing out tonight?"

"I needed to blow off some steam," she shrugged. "Damon and Stefan are driving me crazy. I feel like they each have sunk their claws in and are trying to tear me down the middle."

"They want you to choose?" Elijah asked.

"Yeah," she sighed and leaned her head back against the seat. "Stefan was my first love. Damon really got me through this summer when Stefan was on the road with Klaus. They want me to choose one of them and it's driving me up the wall. I don't like this role they've forced me into."

"I'm afraid I don't understand your meaning," Elijah frowned and looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"They want me to choose and it's completely destroying their relationship," she turned to look at him. "I don't want to be like Katherine. I don't want to tear them apart. It took them over a century to mend the bond she broke."

"You are nothing like Katerina, Elena," he assured her. Katerina Petrova delighted in the role she played. She took joy in tearing apart once strong bonds. He hadn't seen her manipulative nature until his own relationship with his brother had been shattered. Tatia had been jaded by a hard life and she had let that effect the way she interacted with him and Niklaus.

"You are nothing like either of your predecessors." Elena somehow still maintained her compassion and a sense of innocence after suffering insurmountable horrors in her young life. "Have you ever thought that maybe it doesn't have to be a Salvatore?"

Elena watched him carefully from the corner of her eye. She had considered it, but somehow she didn't think his mind was in the same place hers was. He had told her he would never make that mistake again.

"I've thought about it," she shrugged when he pulled into her driveway. "If Klaus had his way it would be a human being. He's rather intent on me having kids. He even swore to protect me and my children and my children's children… I'm not sold on the idea of one of my descendants sharing my fate though…"

Elijah's heart skipped a beat when she said that. Was she considering turning? That would be the surest way to ensure the curse ended with her. It might also mean that one day he might have a chance. He wouldn't act on anything while she was human though; he would not try to influence her decisions.

Elena opened the car door and stepped out. She shrugged off his jacket and passed it back to him before smiling gently. "Thanks for the ride Elijah… and for saving me from your other brother."

"You're welcome," he nodded. "Goodnight Elena."


	2. Friday, December 17, 2010 Part 2

"Out half the night Elijah?" Kol chirped from the stairs. "What a scandal that would have been only a century ago."

Elijah shut the door and adjusted his jacket over his arm.

"I smell something very sweet," Kol sauntered across the space and eyed his brother's coat. The fruity infusion of peaches and fresh apples lifted from the material.

"Kol," Elijah's eyes flashed. "What were you thinking?"

Kol rolled his eyes. "I was just having a little fun," he smirked. "I have to admit I do not care for this 'dance music', but the dancing is nice. The doppelganger really knows how to move."

"Kol," Elijah growled warningly.

Kol held up his hand in a surrendering gesture and backed away while shaking with laughter. "I know, I know… 'Elena Gilbert is not to be harmed'. I won't touch her again… unless she asks me to," Kol winked. He nodded internally when he saw the jealous set of Elijah's shoulders. "Don't worry Elijah, I'll have my fun in other ways."

"Kol," Niklaus rounded the corner, "did I hear you say something about my doppelganger… Elena?" He added when he caught Elijah's glare. It would seem he would need to remind Elijah that love was a vampire's greatest weakness.

"Not to fret, Nik," Kol clapped his half-brother on the shoulder. "Elijah intervened before she could be seriously hurt. Although I must say her blood is exceptionally delicious." Kol spun on his heel and flashed up the stairs before Nik could strike out. "Good night."

Elijah held out his hand to stop Niklaus from flashing off across town. "Elena is fine, Niklaus. I took her home and now she has gone to bed. I think I'll follow her example."

"Follow her example, or follow her to her bed?" Niklaus asked. He was not blind to his brother's obvious attraction to his doppelganger.

Elijah ignored his brother and flashed down the hall to his room. In a matter of moments he had changed and slipped beneath the covers.

Elijah stared at the ceiling as his mind processed the events of the night. He had longed to have his baby brother back in his life; he had even grown to miss the relatively harmless pranks Kol tended to pull. He would gladly have cleaned up one of Kol's messes if it only meant he had his brother back. Now that he was back Elijah found himself physically and mentally exhausted. He loved his siblings dearly, but he couldn't deny the fact that Kol was a handful. He did however feel secure in the knowledge that Kol would respect his instructions and not harm Elena Gilbert.

His mind drifted to Elena. He was being honest when he had said she was unlike either of the woman who had come before her. Tatia was jaded and manipulative; she had left chaos in her wake and wrecked the bond between him and Niklaus. It had taken centuries to repair the damage.

And then Katerina had popped into their lives, and torn them apart in another way. Elijah had still harboured sweet feelings for Tatia and had wanted to protect Katerina. She had been manipulating Niklaus and him from the start. His brother had seen her conniving nature faster than Elijah had.

Elena was different. She had a light that shone from her to affect everyone around her. That light drew those with the darkest of souls to her. Elena Gilbert had never tried to manipulate him to save her own skin. She had bargained with him to save her loved ones; her own name had never come up. Elena had even realized that he had a 'weakness' for women who wore her face. She did not try to use that information to her advantage as Katerina would have.

He had lied when he told her he would never make the mistake of caring for another Petrova. Elijah had already started to care for her. Much like her friends he was drawn to her compassionate nature. He couldn't understand why she kept forgiving him when he betrayed her. It had taken him months to realize that he forgave her own transgressions because he was in love with her. Had anyone else shoved a dagger through his heart they would have met an unfortunate end; people had died for less offensive actions.

He was in love with her, but he would not act on it. She was already torn between two brothers. He had seen the look in her eyes tonight, he had heard the steady beating of her heart, and he was certain that she would eventually break her ties with each of the Salvatore's. She might have said now that she didn't want children, but she was still so very young. Until she made that decision he would not influence her; he would let her live her human life as long as she wanted to even if it meant he never had a chance with her.

With that last thought in mind Elijah rolled over and drifted into a deep sleep.


	3. Saturday, December 18, 2010 Part 1

He woke up with the sun shining on his face. Closing his eyes to block out the light of day he allowed his mind to grasp at the edges of the dream before it could slip through his fingers.

He had been sitting with Elena by the water at her family's lake house. Just sitting together and talking about everything and nothing at the same time. He saw her smile in his mind's eye and felt her reach out and lay her hand on his chest.

The touch was light. The touch was delicate. The touch was soft and real.

His eyes snapped open. The light pressure on his chest was real. It lifted before settling again over his beating heart, but it wasn't Elena Gilbert. The motion repeated again and again. He looked down to see a tiny hand coming down in the centre of his tattoo.

In a fraction of a second his hand reached out and captured the little fingers. A delighted squeal followed his action.

Elijah propped himself up on his elbow and turned his eyes to the small child sitting beside him on his bed.

She… he assumed it was a she from the soft purple onesie… smiled brightly when his eyes found her.

When Elijah let go of her hand she lurched forward on the bed to scoot closer to him. He held his breath when the baby's chubby arms reached for his neck.

 _Did I say I missed Kol's pranks?_  Elijah sighed and sat up. He hoped to his feet before picking up the child.

"What has Kol done now," Elijah spoke in a soothing voice. The little girl reached up and ran her hand over his hair.

Elijah winced when she grasped the strands and tugged. "None of that, now," he carefully took her hand and lowered it to his chest.

Elijah kept up a soft commentary as he walked at a human pace down the stairs. The baby babbled happily and looked around at the passing colours and shapes.

"Kol," Elijah stepped into the kitchen where he could hear his brothers arguing. "What did you do now?"

"I'm going to need more information Elijah," Kol sipped his blood without looking up; "I do a lot of things."

"I am, of course, referring to the child," he tilted his head when the baby tugged on his hair.

"What?" Kol and Niklaus turned to find their big brother bouncing a baby in his arms.

"Where did  _that_  come from?" Niklaus flashed in front of Elijah and pointed to the baby. He backed up when her face contorted.

The baby's mouth opened to emit a loud wail. She turned her head and buried her face in Elijah's chest while she cried.

"Awe Nik," Kol snickered, "you've done it now. I always knew you had a face that would make a baby weep."

"Go stare at yourself in a mirror," Nik grumbled.

"Where did the child come from Kol?" Elijah rubbed a hand soothingly over the little girl's back. Her cries slowly subsided.

"How should I know?"

"You didn't pull some elaborate, inappropriate prank?" Elijah's eyes widened when Kol shook his head. "Where did she come from then?"

"Perhaps Rebekah kidnapped her," Niklaus suggested. "She has always wanted children."

"If that were the case why would the baby be in my bed?" He slowed his hand's movement when her sobs reduced to soft sniffles. He watched her turn her head and regard his brother's with oddly familiar wary brown eyes.

"No idea," Niklaus shrugged. He sniffed the air daintily and grimaced. "What is that smell?"

"What do you think?" Kol laughed and pointed to the baby. "I think she needs changed. I don't suppose you keep diapers on hand Nik?"

"Oddly enough no," he chuckled, "you stopped using them centuries ago."

"Very funny," Kol leaned back and rested his elbows on the table. "Maybe you should go and get some."

"Why me?"

"Because I don't know where to go, and Elijah seems to be the only one capable of keeping the baby calm," Kol explained. The rational manner in which he approached the situation surprised his brothers.

"Fine," Nik rolled his eyes. "I'll be back in 10 minutes. While I'm gone try to figure out where the kid came from."

Elijah turned to Kol when Niklaus flashed out in the direction of the store. "Any ideas on how to find her parents? And perhaps her name?"

"Nothing on the name," Kol shook his head. He stood up and approached his older brother slowly so he wouldn't spook the baby again. "I know of a spell to find a child's mother, though."

"What about the father?"

"It could probably be altered to find the father," Kol shrugged, "but if you find the mother that should be enough. We are going to need a witch."

"Can you run and get my phone?" Elijah nodded. "I have a few witches I can call."


	4. Saturday, December 18, 2010 Part 2

Klaus grumbled under his breath. He had said he would be back in ten minutes and it had already been fifteen. His lips twisted into a grimace as he stared at the packed shelves in the baby aisle.

"Hi," an annoyingly chipper voice sounded behind him, "can I help you find anything today, sir?"

Klaus turned around and eyed the young woman. She was little more than a girl really and couldn't have been older than 17 years old.

"You might be able to help me," he nodded back to the shelves. "I suddenly find myself in possession of a baby. It was quite unexpected and I have no idea what I need."

The girl, Margo, looked him up and down. She quickly pegged him as the careless bad boy type and wondered that he only now found himself with a baby. The combination of his piercing eyes, playful smirk, and panty-dropping accent must have had women falling at his feet.

"Newborns need quite a bit," Margo began before Klaus cut her off.

"She's not a newborn." Klaus didn't know much about babies, but he did know that child had to be a few months old at least. No newborn could support her head that well.

"I'm sorry," she smiled tightly, "how old is your daughter?"

"She's not mine," Klaus lifted his hand and laughed. "I should clarify. My brother found himself in possession of a child and he lives with me. She doesn't seem to trust anyone else in the house so I have been sent on the baby run."

"Okay," Margo smiled.  _Is his brother as cute as him?_ "How old is the baby?"

"I'm not sure, actually. She can support her head and weighs about 17-18 lbs."

"Why don't we approach this in a different way?" Margo turned around and pulled several onesie's from the wrack. "Which one of these would she fit in?"

Klaus considered the fabric before selecting one that would fit the child.

"6-9 months?" Margo nodded. She bent down and pulled a package of diapers from the bottom shelf. "Diapers tend to go by weight, so these ones should work. You said suddenly so I'm assuming you need everything?"

"You would assume correctly love," Klaus smirked.

"You might need a cart then."

"Well then, why don't you start getting down what I'll be needing and I'll run and fetch a cart?"

Margo was just turning her head to nod. She looked quickly from side to side when she was unable to find him. She had just located the correct formula when he returned with an empty cart. She helped him fill it with everything he would need: diapers, formula, pacifiers, wipes, pajamas, blankets, wash clothes, and bottles.

On impulse Klaus grabbed a stuffed elephant; he figured he owed the child after scaring her earlier.

He stepped out into the parking lot and sighed. "I really didn't think this through."

"Not surprising," a familiar voice snickered, "you rarely think anything through."

"Caroline," he smirked. His eyes slowly roamed her pale face before settling on her eyes. "I think you'll find I often think things through, love."  _If I didn't we'd be in a very compromising position right now._

"Don't you have minions to do your shopping?" She quirked an eyebrow at the many bags in the shopping cart. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of the box. "Why do you have diapers?"

"I'd love to know the answer to that," he dropped his head and chuckled. "The short version is that there is a child in our care. Is your car here by any chance?"

"Is the big bad hybrid asking for my help?" Caroline crossed her arms. It was clear at this point that he'd run to the store thinking he would be leaving with fewer items, but she wanted to hear him ask her nicely.

"Caroline will you please help me by giving me a drive home?"

Caroline pretended to consider before nodding. Her curiosity winning out over her desire to deny Klaus anything and everything he would ever ask of her. "Alright."

Fifteen minutes later Caroline pulled her car into the Mikaelson's driveway. She hopped out and started pulling bags from the car.

"You don't need to help, love," Klaus took the bags from her.

"Don't mistake this for kindness," Caroline snickered, "I want to see this baby. How did you come to be in possession of a baby?"

"I don't know," Klaus pushed open the door, "Elijah found her in his bed this morning."


	5. Saturday, December 18, 2010 Part 3

"That was fast," Kol remarked. "How did you get her so fast?"

"I was visiting my cousin," Kate glanced at him, "I was actually on my way back out of town when Elijah called."

"And you came at his beck and call?" Kol watched as Elijah carefully passed the witch the baby. She had been so full of life moments before, but now seemed to be afraid of the woman taking hold of her.

"I owed him a favor," she shrugged. "If I do this are we square?"

"Yes, Kate," he replied. Elijah carefully removed his silk tie from the child's fingers.

"Great," Kate smiled. "If I understand this spell correctly it is going to write the mother's first and last name on her arm as well as her date of birth to avoid confusion." Kate dropped to sit cross legged on the floor. She set the baby on the floor in front of her and took the child's hands before closing her eyes and reciting the spell she had just spent several minutes memorizing.

Kate felt the magic settle on the little girl's skin with a whisper. The baby giggled when the forming letters tickled her arm.

"It's done," she stood and passed the child back to Elijah. Grabbing her purse she started towards the door.

"You don't want to know whose child she is?" Kol called.

"Nope," Kate stepped around the two people who came inside, "I could not care less."

Caroline watched the woman, who she assumed was a witch, all but sprint to a dark sedan. "I'd like to know about that," she turned to the Original's present, "but perhaps it can wait until she has had a diaper change. I could smell her from outside."

Caroline's eyes darted between each of the Originals before she sighed. Caroline examined the bags in Klaus' arms before pulling out the package of diapers and the wipes. She held them up and eyed the group. "Do any of you actually know how to change a diaper?"

"What would make you think that we know how to do that?" Kol gaped.

"I don't know," Caroline laughed. She tore open the package of diapers and pulled one out before laying the wipes and diaper on the couch. "Give her to me." She didn't wait before lifting the child from Elijah's arms.

The Originals watched in fascination as Caroline laid the baby on the couch. She quickly unzipped the onesie and pulled out the baby's legs. She was narrating her actions for the other vampires but she was doing it in baby talk to keep the little girl calm since she had grown uncomfortable after being taken from Elijah. She was just tucking the child's legs back inside when she looked to Elijah.

"How do we find out her mother's name?"

Elijah reclaimed his finger from the little girl's grip. "It's written on her left arm," he carefully pulled her arm from the sleeve. His eyes widened and his mouth popped open when he read the name upside down.

_Elena Gilbert_

_June 22, 1992_


	6. Saturday, December 18, 2010 Part 4

"Elena," Klaus opened the door and grinned. "What a pleasant surprise." He stepped aside so she could enter the house.

"You called me and told me to get my 'ass over here'," she rolled her eyes. "When I refused you sent a hybrid to physically drag me. What do you want Klaus? I'm sure you have more than enough of my blood."

"None of that, love," Klaus took hold of her elbow, "I just have a few questions for you." He tightened his grip when she tried to pull away.

"You're hurting me," Elena grumbled and hurried to keep up with his pace. Truth be told it didn't hurt that much.

She froze when she saw Kol sitting on a couch. He was calling out a list of names to Elijah who was pacing back and forth in front of the window with something in his arms. What surprised her most was Caroline sitting on a chair watching her with a look somewhere between disappointment and betrayal.

"What's going on?" Elena stepped down into the sitting room.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Caroline gripped the edges of her chair and hissed. One of her hands extended in Elijah's general direction. "How did I not know about this?"

"What are you talking about Caroline?"  _Did she figure out that I like Elijah? How could she have possibly learned that? Why would she bring it up here of all places?_

"The baby," Caroline stated matter-of-factly.

"What baby?"

"Your baby love," Klaus released her arm.

"I don't have a baby," Elena looked at Klaus and Caroline as if they had each grown a second head.

"A witch confirmed it Elena," Elijah finally turned around from the window.

Elena's eyes dropped to the child sleeping on his chest. She tilted her head and watched the small baby sleep; she had her tiny fist curled around his silk tie. She refocused when she heard Elijah continue explaining how a witch had used a spell to identify her as the baby's mother.

Elena walked forward until she was in front of him. Her eyes roamed over the infant critically before she spoke.

"You know I have all of you pegged as many things," she pointed in turn to Klaus, Caroline and Elijah: "paranoid psychopath, compulsive control freak, and the noble one prone to acts of betrayal. Among many other things, but I never thought of any of you as stupid."

"Oi," Kol cried in mock outrage.

"I'll forgive you for this one Kol, but these three should know better."

"Elena…"

"No, Elijah," she cut him off. "How old do you think this child is?"

He looked down at the baby sleeping on his chest. Elijah had spent very little time around children. The last infant he had held was Henrik over a thousand years before. Looking at the little girl he was struck with the sudden realization that he had no idea how old she was.

"She's about 6 months old," Elena gave Elijah a pointed look. She could see when the lightbulb lit up over his head.

"I'm afraid I'm still not understanding," Klaus growled from the couch.

"The sacrifice you idiot," Caroline supplied. "The sacrifice was nearly 8 months ago. Somebody would have noticed if she was about to pop out a baby."

"Then the spell was wrong," Klaus tossed his head back against the couch. "And here I thought I could do away with the doppelganger at last."

"Niklaus," Elijah warned. He looked down when the child squirmed against his chest. She opened her eyes and pouted.

"The spell was fine." Kol watched as the baby lifted her head and blinked. "Elena Gilbert is that child's mother. I can see the resemblance from here."

"I think I'd remember having a baby," Elena rolled her eyes. She turned her head back towards Elijah when she felt something brush against her breast.

Elena looked to see that the baby had made a move to lunge for Elena. Elijah was trying to hold the child steady, but she was bound and determined to switch arms. Elena was too surprised to do anything but stand there and stare at the baby who had wrapped her little arms around Elena's neck. As a result of Elena's sudden immobilization Elijah had to support the baby; his arm pressed against her stomach.

"Let's not be too hasty, darling," Kol sat forward.

"Don't call me 'darling'."

"She appeared magically in the house," Kol continued as if he hadn't heard her. "You might not remember having her because you have not had her yet."

"What?" Elena snapped out of her reverie. She slid her arm around to support the baby; her hand grazed Elijah's chest when she took the child and pulled her tightly to her own body.

"It could be some kind of spell on the baby," Kol suggested. "Somehow the baby got sent back in time and wound up with Elijah; which is a good thing because she seems to like him."

"You're saying some day I'm going to have a baby, and that baby is going to be ripped through space and time?" Elena felt her heart clench at the future pain she would endure. "That's got to be every mother's worst nightmare."

"I don't think most woman would consider that a possibility," Caroline watched Elena bounce the baby gently before sitting down. Elijah joined her on the couch when the girl started fussing; she calmed when she could see him again.

"What are we to do with the child then?" Klaus watched her reach out and sleepily take hold of Elijah's tie again.

"Find a witch who can do a spell to send her home," Kol suggested. "In the meantime she'll have to stay with Elena."

"What exactly am I supposed to do with a baby?" Elena protested.

"I don't want her leaving with the baby either," Klaus leaned forward to glare at Elena. "She might pull a Katerina and run off. I want her right where I can see her. You can stay here until the child goes home."

"She has a life Klaus," Caroline glared at the hybrid.

"I'm not going to stay in a house, indefinitely, with three vampires who have tried to kill me," Elena's eyes flickered from Klaus to Kol.

"Last I checked Elijah's never harmed you love."

"I was not referring to Elijah," Elena gritted her teeth. She was mildly surprised when Kol appeared to be chagrined.

"Kol?" Klaus turned to his baby brother.

"I didn't kill her," he held up his hands defensively, "and I apologized for it immediately."

"When did this happen?" Caroline looked to her friend.

"Last night," Elena said.

In the end they decided to call Bonnie to try and find a way to send the baby home; hopefully without Elena having to remain in the mansion for the foreseeable future.


	7. Saturday, December 18, 2010 Part 5

Bonnie arrived an hour later with a grimoire in hand. She scoffed at Kol when he opened the door and greeted her with a charming smile. She froze when he led her into the sitting room and found Elena with a baby.

"You really need to make a decision," Elena spoke softly to the baby in her arms. "Who do you want: me or Elijah? You can't keep switching back and forth between us," Elena supressed a laugh.

The baby looked at the two of them, with the most serious expression on her face, before reaching for Elijah.

She was barely settled in the Original's arms before she reached back for Elena with a mischievous smile.

"You know exactly what you're doing," Elijah chuckled and passed her back.

"Whose baby is this?" Bonnie pointed at the little girl. Caroline had told her she was needed at the Mikaelson mansion, but she hadn't told her what was happening. Bonnie had been poised to say no until Caroline told her it was about Elena.

"Apparently she's mine," Elena rolled her eyes and took the baby back. "Kol seems to think she came from the future, and we were hoping you could figure out how to get her back to wherever… whenever… she came from."

"Something like that would require a lot of power," Bonnie stepped up and laid her hand on the child's back. "He is right, though, she's definitely yours."

"Can you send her back, Bon?" Caroline asked. "Elena's probably having a heart attack in the future."

"I think so," Bonnie pulled a face causing the little girl to giggle. "It will take me a few days to work out a spell, and I'll need something powerful to draw on to complete it."

Klaus tilted his head and looked at the trio on his couch. "The winter solstice is on Tuesday," he supplied, "it also happens to be the date of a lunar eclipse and a full moon. That should be more than enough power for you."

"You should have seen some of the spells that happened last time those three events coincided," Kol smirked.

"How long ago was that?" Elena glanced up from the giggling child.

"It was December 21, 1638," Kol grinned. "Witches went a little power crazy in Greenwich."

Elijah gave a slight smile before taking the baby when she reached for him. "It was an interesting night. The solstice is three nights away and this little one doesn't seem to want you out of her sight Elena… not now that she has seen you again… Do you have any idea what her name is?"

Elena glanced at him before settling her eyes on the baby. She thought about it for a minute before pressing her lips together thoughtfully. "Miranda?" It came out as a question, but the little girl immediately turned her head back to Elena.

"Aww," Caroline leaned her head on her hand. "You named her after your mom. She looks like a Miranda." The little girl immediately turned her head towards Caroline.

"I guess that settles it," Elijah chuckled. "Miranda," she looked up at him, "does not want her mother to leave."

"She's not letting you go either, brother. I wonder why that is," Klaus eyed the small child. "Now Elena I know you are reluctant to stay in this house, but I promise no harm will befall you under this roof. Will you stay until this mess," he motioned to the child, "is sorted out?" He was a little nervous to find out what would happen if Miranda were separated from either Elena or Elijah. There was no reasonable explanation for the baby's fascination with his older brother. "You can stay in a guest room until she's sent back. If it will make you feel more comfortable Caroline and Bonnie are welcome to stay as well."

"I'm not staying in this house," Bonnie crossed her arms and glared.

"I'll stay if you want to Elena," Caroline raised her eyebrow and waited for Elena's response.

Elena's eyes flickered to Miranda in Elijah's arms; he was a natural with her. Elena had only known this little girl a few hours but she was reluctant to leave her anywhere. She might have denied it at first, but she had felt the maternal pull when the baby was placed in her arms.

"I'll stay," she nodded slowly, "but I'll have to go home and get a few things first."

"I'll drive," Caroline stood up and took Elena's arm. "We'll be back in an hour."

Elena had barely stepped out of the sitting room when the baby started sobbing. She felt her heart clench at the sound.

Caroline saw the look on her face and stopped walking.

They could hear Elijah attempting to sooth the baby with somewhat successful results.

"Come on Elena," she tugged her friend again. "We'll be back before you know it."


	8. Saturday, December 18, 2010 Part 6

Elena stepped out of her house. She placed the duffle bag and backpack on the porch before pulling the door shut and locking it. She jumped when she heard a pair of voices behind her.

"Where are you going Elena?" Stefan eyed the bags. "Are you having a sleepover at Caroline's house tonight?"

"That bag is big enough for a week," Damon remarked.

"Just a few days," Elena shrugged. She looked at both of them before taking a seat on her porch swing. "I wasn't going to do this today, but since you're both here…"

"You've made a choice?" Stefan stepped closer.

"Of course she has," Damon smirked, "and it's me. It was always going to be me. Right Elena?"

"I've made a decision," she nodded. Elena looked down at her hands while she struggled to word what she needed to say. She didn't want to hurt either of them, but she knew it was inevitable.

She didn't have a sudden desire to have a child, but now that she'd seen her future baby she knew she would want her one day. Deep down she knew that this was always going to be her decision. Not to seek a human life, but to seek her own life. Stefan wanted her to be the little innocent girl he'd fallen in love with. Damon wanted her to be like Katherine. And she was just starting to discover that she didn't want either of those things.

The only door Miranda closed was the one to a certain Original. She told herself that was alright though. It wasn't as if there had ever been a chance with him anyway; Elijah Mikaelson had never shown any interest in her. He had even gone out of his way to tell her he would never make the mistake of caring for another doppelganger.

"Which one of us is it Elena?" Damon interrupted her thoughts.

"Neither," Elena met his eyes, "I'm not choosing either one of you."

"You said you made a choice," Stefan crossed his arms and frowned.

"And I did," Elena stood up when she saw Caroline pull into her driveway. "I chose myself. I don't want to be either of you. We're toxic together the three of us. If I choose one of you it will completely ruin the relationship you have with each other. I won't be another Katherine."

"You're not Katherine," Stefan's voice slowly raised.

"We both decided to respect your decision," Damon's blue eyes flashed imploringly, "and not hold it against the other."

"Damon, I don't want either of you."

"Is there someone else Elena?" Stefan watched her face carefully. He knew she felt something for Elijah; they had one of the strangest, strongest bonds he had ever seen.

Elena looked into his eyes and shook her head. "No," she considered it to be the truth, "there is no one else. You know my decision. I'm choosing myself; I want to live my own life… maybe it will be completely free of vampires." She laughed when she saw Caroline's outraged look. "Maybe not completely free… I think I'll keep Caroline."

She stepped around them onto the stairs and headed for the car.

"Where are you going?" Damon flashed in front of her and held the car door open preventing her from shutting it.

"Caroline and I are going away for a few days," Elena shrugged. She knew better than to tell them where she was going. Damon would pitch a fit. She glared at him until he released the door.

Damon watched Caroline's car drive away before turning back to his brother.

"Now what?" He crossed his arms.

"Now nothing," Stefan sighed. "You heard Elena. She made her decision Damon."

"It was supposed to be one of us."

"She chose herself," Stefan blinked after the car. "Now we respect her decision; just like we were going to do when she was poised to choose one of us."


	9. Sunday, December 19, 2010 Part 1

_Elena cradled Miranda's head to her chest and rocked the baby back and forth. Her attempts to sooth the child were in vain. The blood-curdling screams from outside the doors made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end; there was no way of blocking them out. Nothing could shield them from what was coming._

_From the other side of the wood she could hear the soft calls of the witch. Elena held her daughter closer to her breast. She knew she would die before handing over her child; she also knew that with nearly every dagger in play it was a real possibility._

_If only they had known sooner than they could have attempted to run. Katherine had once said that a life on the run was no life at all and the Originals had echoed the sentiment, but Elena would have done it gladly if it meant her daughter stayed safe in her arms._

_"I have an idea."_

_Elena twisted her neck to the man who had just finished barricading the door with Caroline. His eyes shifted from Miranda to Bonnie who was standing a little ways from Elena._

_"What is it?" Elena was ready to try anything at this point._

_"It won't stop her immediately, but it will buy us some time so we can come up with a plan," he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Something tells me you won't like it, darling."_

_"Don't call me darling," her voice lacked any real bite._

* * *

3:47AM

"What the bloody hell is that?"

The shout echoed through the halls of the mansion. A second later Elena flinched when the door to the guest bedroom was thrown open with enough force to dent the wall. Her jarring movement renewed Miranda's loud sobs.

Klaus glared from the door as Elena tried to calm Miranda by bouncing the little girl on her hip. "What's wrong with her?"

"She can't sleep," Elena rolled her eyes.

"I got that, love," Klaus growled. His eyes flashed gold as he stormed into her room. "Why can't she sleep?"

Miranda got one look at Klaus before screaming and turning away.

"It might have something to do with being off her regular schedule," Elena struggled to keep her voice calm even as she glared over the little girls head. She attempted to give Miranda a pacifier only to have her push it away.

"Children need a routine, Klaus," Caroline grumbled from the door. She was not happy at having been woken up in the middle of the night.

"She's probably terrified of you as well," Elijah stepped inside. "Screaming in the middle of the night is definitely not helping."

Miranda turned her head in the direction of his voice. When her eyes landed on Elijah she reached for him with tiny hands.

Elijah took the baby from Elena who kept her hand on the child's back. He lowered Miranda's head to rest over his heart while Elena drew circles over her back.

Elena turned to glare at Klaus only to find Caroline already pulling him out of the room by the collar of his shirt. She had to admit Caroline had some nerve; not many people could handle Klaus Mikaelson like that and live to tell the tale. Of course it might have had something to do with Klaus being smitten with Caroline.

"Everything alright in here?" Kol poked his head around the corner and yawned. His eyes flickered between his brother and Elena as they tried to sooth the baby.

Elijah's eyes darted to Elena's arm when it grazed his bare stomach. The slight contact sent a tingle down his spine. He looked at Kol to find an amused twinkle in his dark eyes.

"We're perfectly fine Kol," Elijah instinctively reached up to place his hand on Miranda's back. An electric jolt traveled up his arm when his hand didn't settle on the baby, but on Elena.

"We're f-fine," Elena's voice echoed Elijah's. If he asked she would say the stammering was due to the late hour, and not his hand on hers. She blushed when she caught Kol's knowing look.

"Alright then," Kol nodded. With a tight smile he reached inside the room and pulled the door shut.

Elena turned back around. She blushed when she realized Elijah was shirtless. He must have been asleep when Klaus had started screaming. She breathed a sigh of relief when she glanced down and saw that he was wearing pajama bottoms.

"Did Miranda wake you?" Elena smiled apologetically.

"No," Elijah chuckled, "I wouldn't have minded that. It was Niklaus' shouting."

"Which only happened because I couldn't get her back to sleep," Elena frowned. She ran her fingers through her hair and sobbed. "I'm going to be a terrible mother… I can't even get her to stop crying."

"Elena," he braced Miranda with one arm and reached for her shoulder. "You need to cut yourself some slack, Elena. You've been thrown into motherhood with no preparation. I saw you with Miranda earlier; you'll make a wonderful mother one day. And look she's already stopped crying."

Her lip quivered. Miranda was calm again and blinking sleepily from her perch on Elijah's chest. "I didn't do that," a tear slid down her cheek, "you did. How did you do that so fast?"

"I don't know," he shook his head. "The last child I held was Henrik over a thousand years ago." He laughed in an attempt to ease her tears.

"That's really not helping me feel any better," she groaned and flopped back on the bed.

Elijah watched her for a minute before sitting on the opposite side of the bed. He carefully laid Miranda beside Elena and reached for the pacifier still in Elena's hand.

Elena rolled over and watched as Miranda took the pacifier. One of her hands closed around Elena's finger, the other grasped Elijah's before he could pull away.

"I think she wants you," Elena moved as if to get up. She found she couldn't break her daughter's grip. Elijah had fared better managing to reclaim his finger.

"She clearly wants you," he nodded to the hold Miranda still had on Elena's finger.

"She has a strong grip," Elena whispered. It had been a few years since she'd babysat anyone this small but she didn't remember a baby ever having a grip that strong.

"Indeed," he stood up from the bed, "she seems to be alright now so I'll go and let you get some sleep."

"Good night Elijah," Elena worked her finger free from Miranda's grip and laid it on her stomach.

"Good night Elena," he murmured. Elijah made it to the door before Miranda sat up on the bed and started crying.

Elena sighed and rubbed the girl's back. "Maybe you can stay until she falls asleep," Elena suggested.

"Until she falls asleep," he nodded before coaxing Miranda to lie back down. He was briefly reminded of Niklaus' words the previous night when he laid down on the other side of Miranda. He had often dreamt of sharing a bed with Elena Gilbert, but only in his wildest dreams had there been a child between them.


	10. Sunday, December 19, 2010 Part 2

_"You're right I don't like this," Elena shook her head and backed away from the large bed._

_"You know she'll be safe," he insisted. "You were there Elena. You were there the entire time."_

_"We don't know if the spell to send her back worked though," Elena felt tears well in her eyes. She kissed the top of Miranda's head and looked at Bonnie with worried eyes._

_"It will work Elena," Bonnie promised. "You will hold your baby girl again; I swear it. In four days there is a full moon and she will be home."_

_Elena eyed the magical paraphernalia laid out on the bed. "What if something goes wrong? What if, and I'm sorry for even suggesting this, what if you're not here? What happens then?"_

_Bonnie lit a few candles on the nightstand before igniting a small bowl of herbs. She left the spell for a moment and wrapped her arms around Elena's trembling shoulders. "My spell… the one I used in the past… it will send Miranda back. I promise Elena; it is going to work with or without me here." She stared into Elena's teary eyes until she nodded once._

_Bonnie held out her arms for Miranda._

_"No," Elena sniffled and twisted her body to keep Bonnie from taking the baby. "No, I'll do it." She released a shuddering breath before laying her daughter in the centre of the large circle Bonnie had drawn on the bed. "Explain it to me one more time."_

_Bonnie looked over her shoulder to meet his dark eyes. The lack of sound from the surrounding grounds told her there was not enough time to explain the spell and perform it. She nodded signifying that he should explain while she started chanting in Latin._

_"The spell will send her back to a place she'll be safe," he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. "It will send her back before she was conceived. In four days we will bring her back after we've gathered the daggers and taken care of her."_

_Elena nodded. The flames from the candles grew when Bonnie used a knife to slice into Elena's palm. Elena turned her wrist so the blood fell onto the center candle and watched as the wound knit itself back together._

_She swiped angrily at the tears coursing down her cheeks when Miranda disappeared from the bed. The imprint of her purple onesie stuck in her mind's eye._

* * *

11:46AM

"Has anyone seen the doppelganger this morning?" Klaus opened the fridge and took out a bag of blood. "I have not heard a sound from her room since Caroline dragged me out of there last night."

"She's probably still asleep," Kol shrugged. "Elena is only human and Miranda kept her up half of the night."

"She is definitely still asleep," Caroline declined the blood bag from Klaus. She stepped around him and retrieved her own from the fridge. "I'm going to go wake her up," she stated, "Elena hates sleeping past noon."

"While we are on the subject of missing people," Kol smiled at Caroline's actions, "do you know where Elijah is? I did something to my phone, and I don't know how to fix it."

"I can help you with that," Klaus held out his hand.

"No thanks," Kol shook his head and smirked. "I'm still angry with you for sticking me in a box for a century."

"It wasn't a century."

"Two years shy of one," Kol quipped.

Caroline shook her head before flashing off up the stairs. She carefully opened the door and prepared to tease Elena for sleeping so late. She froze at the door and took in the sight on the bed.

Elena was laying on her right side with her right arm under her head; her left hand extended to curl around Miranda's belly. Her lower body was angled towards Miranda, and her left leg slung over Elijah. Elijah was lying in much the same position with his arm extended over Elena's waist.

She thought about calling back downstairs to tell them she had found Elijah, but ultimately decided against it. This was too cute an opportunity to pass up, and if nothing else she knew she could use it to tease Elena mercilessly later.

Caroline's fingers twitched before silently reaching into her pocket and pulling out her phone. She held her breath and opened the camera before stepping quietly to the end of the bed. Lifting the phone she bit her lip when the shutter sound effect went off.

"Wha…" Elena lifted her head and blinked against the bright light streaming through the window.

Elijah opened his eyes and turned his head towards Caroline.  _What is she doing in my bedroom?_ He moved to roll over and stopped when he felt a light weight pinning his thigh to the bed and something soft under his hand.

Elena's breath caught in her throat when she realized her compromising position. She struggled for a second to remember what chain of events had landed her in bed with Elijah; with a shirtless Elijah. Her mouth watered and she swallowed; if she thought he looked good in a suit it was nothing compared to this.

The events of the previous day and night came back to her when a tiny pair of legs started kicking. She broke her stare and dropped her eyes from Elijah's to Miranda.

Miranda smiled sleepily and lifted her arms.

Elena, finding only a few inches of mattress on her other side, was left with one of two choices. She could try to sit up without bracing herself and likely fall over, or she could use Elijah as leverage. Elena placed her hand on his shoulder and managed to prop herself up without crushing Miranda or falling off the bed. She felt a chill settle on her skin when he lifted his hand and silently mourned the loss of contact.

"Caroline," Elijah sat up when Elena disentangled their legs, "what are you doing?"

"I could ask you the same question," she grinned.

"Really Elijah," Kol admonished from the door, "you're all about scandals lately; sleeping in the same bed as a young woman. Have you no regard for the lady's virtue?" He sauntered at a human pace to Elena and offered his hand. "Shall I defend your honor my lady?"

Elena rolled her eyes and let him help her up. "Someone really needs to teach you about the 21st century," Elena snickered. She bent at the waist to pick up Miranda.

"Yeah," Caroline agreed, "women defend themselves these days." She tucked her phone back into her pocket.

"I'm not going to find an embarrassing photograph on your phone, am I Care?" Elena went about changing the baby's diaper before heading towards the kitchen for Miranda's breakfast. Elena glanced at the clock and vowed to try and get Miranda to sleep earlier that night.

"Of course not," Caroline smiled innocently.


	11. Sunday, December 19, 2010 Part 3

3:45PM

Elena rubbed the back of her neck and tapped her pencil against the calculus notebook. Not for the first time that year she wondered why she was taking calculus. She wondered what possible benefit it could have for her future. Staring at the problem in front of her she couldn't think of a single real world situation in which she would use it.

She looked through the corner of her eye to see Miranda playing with a small stuffed elephant beside her. "Ma-ma-ma-ma," she grinned when she gathered Elena's attention.

Elena bit her lip and smiled. Her dark eyes darted to the books spread over the coffee table. Calculus could wait; she only had Miranda for a few days. Elena dropped the pencil into the center of the textbook and slid off the couch onto the floor.

Miranda blinked when Elena took the tiny pink elephant and set it aside. She smiled when Elena lifted her finger and tapped Miranda's nose.

"Boop," Elena laughed when Miranda reached and tapped her cheek. She caught the little hand and kissed it.

"Ma-ma," Miranda babbled.

"Playing with you is much more productive than calculus homework," Elena teased and lifted Miranda to stand on her knees, "at least this way one of is learning something."

Miranda braced her legs and shoved a few fingers in her mouth.

"From what I understand calculus is rather important in the medical field," Elijah took a seat beside her on the floor. He leaned against the couch and tickled Miranda's stomach causing her to giggle.

"It is," Elena nodded reluctantly, "which means I need to take it. I'm just having a little trouble wrapping my mind around it today."

"What seems to be the problem?" He watched Elena gently bounce Miranda up and down.

"I'm terribly distracted," she smiled, "but you have to admit she is a very adorable distraction. Aren't you Miranda?"

"Ma-ma-ma-ba-ba-ga," Miranda babbled incoherently. Elena wasn't sure if she was actually calling her 'mama' or just stringing together sounds.

"She is that," Elijah agreed. He looked at the little girl carefully. "I think she has your nose."

"Just my nose right?" Elena turned Miranda so she was facing Elijah and looked at him. "I'd hate to think I brought another doppelganger into the world so soon."

"I don't think you need to worry about that," he chuckled. "Miranda's eyes are a few shades darker than yours." He couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen her eyes somewhere before. Elijah might have thought the Lockwood boy if he were still human.

"Good," Elena smiled. "Maybe she got her dad's eyes…"

"Maybe," Elijah nodded. He held out his hands and smiled when Miranda reached for him.

"Elijah Mikaelson," Elena placed her hand over her heart in mock outrage, "are you stealing my baby?"

"Yes," his eyebrows lifted slowly, "I most certainly am. I am going to take this little one into the kitchen for something to eat. I'm thinking maybe cereal," Elijah stood up and lifted Miranda into the air.

"And why are you kidnapping my baby," Elena quirked an eyebrow.

"That is the only way a vampire can have a kid," Kol shouted from somewhere down the hall.

"Ignore him," Elijah rolled his eyes. "I'm going to take her now so you can finish your homework."

"This is why you shouldn't have kids in high school," Klaus snickered from the door.

"I didn't have her in high school," Elena sighed and picked up her pencil, "a spell brought her to me in high school."

"We'll be in the kitchen when you're done," Elijah laughed and exited the room.

He stepped into the kitchen and lowered Miranda into the booster seat. A few minutes later he had sat down in a chair in front of her with the cereal.

Miranda's nose crinkled when she smelt the cereal on the spoon. She pressed her lips together and turned her head.

"Come on now, Miranda," Elijah coaxed, "I know you're hungry. I can hear your stomach rumbling." He sighed and thought for a minute before pulling a silly face and making her smile.

Elijah took advantage of her open mouth and slipped the spoon past her lips. He shook with laughter. Miranda's eyes had widened when the cereal hit her tongue.

"What is that?" Rebekah flashed into the kitchen. She froze when she saw her oldest breathing brother with a baby. "Where did that child come from Elijah?"

Elijah peeked at his sister from the corner of his eye. He gave her a slight smile and answered: "She came from the future through the use of some sort of spell."

"What spell?"

"I do not know," he shook his head. "Miss Bennet is currently working on a way to send her home. Miranda, here, will be with us until Tuesday night."

"She's using the solstice then," Rebekah nodded. "Whose child is she?"

"Mine," Elena crossed her arms. She shuffled from foot to foot in the doorway.

"The Doppelganger Wench?" Rebekah scoffed. "I should have known. Everything centres on her in this town. How do the Salvatores feel about your future as a mother?"

"They don't know," Elena sighed. She had made sure not to mention Miranda to Stefan and Damon. If she mentioned Miranda she would have gone on to say that she was staying with the Originals for a few days.

"I figured," Rebekah nodded. "Stefan might have mentioned that last night."

"Out all night with the youngest Salvabore sister?" Kol asked from beside Elena. He looked down at her. "Isn't he the one that's courting you?"

"Courting?" Elena stifled a giggle at Kol's terminology and nodded. "He was… we were. I'm not seeing Stefan anymore."

"It didn't take him long to recover," Caroline stepped up beside Kol and glared at Rebekah.

"Does that mean you chose Damon then?" Kol crossed his arms. He stepped into the kitchen and leaned against the door.

"No," Elena frowned and shook her head. "I broke things off with both of them."

"Try not to be too upset about Rebekah spending the night with your recent ex Elena. My sweet sister has always been a strumpet." Kol caught the knife Rebekah threw at his head.

"Could you not traumatize my future child?" Elena's eyes glued to the blade half an inch from Kol's nose.

Rebekah crossed her arms and glanced over her shoulder to see that Elijah had turned the baby around. "What are you doing here?"

"Staying for a few days," Elena shrugged. "Klaus wasn't about to let me take Miranda out of the house, and she wasn't about to let me leave without her."

"I am not staying under the same roof as the bitch that stabbed me in the back," Rebekah hissed.

Elena flushed under Rebekah's angry gaze. She gasped when her back was slammed against the floor and looked up into her face. Elena barely got a look at Rebekah's vampire visage before she was torn off of her. Looking up she expected to see Elijah, but was surprised when it was Kol holding his sister's throat.

It made sense she supposed. Kol was closer and so he reached her first. He had been polite enough since the incident at the club, but she hadn't expected him to come to her rescue.

"Rebekah," Elijah spoke softly from his position by the baby chair. "You will not harm her." He moved to help Elena to her feet. "Elena is a guest in this house and you will treat her as such, or you will leave."

"How can you defend her?" Rebekah gasped around Kol's hand. "She stabbed me in the back, and from what Damon told me last night she daggered you too."

"Elena didn't have a choice," Caroline surprised them all by interjecting. "She didn't want to hurt either one of you, but the daggers could only be used by a human."

"She still made the choice to do it," Rebekah spat.

"No," Caroline shook her head. "She didn't. I said she didn't want to hurt you. She didn't have a  _choice_."

Kol caught on to what Caroline was saying first. He turned his head to watch Elena carefully. "You were compelled, weren't you darling?"

"Don't call me darling," Elena struggled to catch her breath. Her eyebrows lowered in concentration. She didn't remember being compelled. All she remembered was Damon somehow persuading her that daggering the Originals was the best option for them. Try as she might she couldn't remember how Damon had managed to do it. "Son of a …" She trailed off when she saw that Elijah had Miranda in his other arm.

"Yup," Caroline nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me that?" She glared at her best friend.

Rebekah watched the exchange carefully. It actually made a lot of sense. She had been getting along really well with Elena. There had been no real sign that the girl was insincere in her actions before the back stabbing.

"I didn't find out until later," Caroline held up her hands in defense. "When I did find out there didn't seem to be any point in telling you. It was done. Plus, could you honestly say you would have believed me?"

"Yes," Elena nodded.

"So less of bitch and more of a victim," Rebekah's face returned to it's human features. "Would you like me to disembowel him?"

"You were trying to kill me less than five minutes ago," Elena frowned and rubbed her throat, "and now you want to avenge the violation of my mind?"

"Girls have to stick together."


	12. Sunday, December 19, 2010 Part 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Future scenes take place in italics. Any dream sequences are in italics and centered.  
> Also, I do not own the dialogue in the dream sequence. Credit for that goes to the writers of Greys Anatomy. I just thought it would be cute.

_Elena squared her shoulders and clenched her jaw. She stood tall with the three who remained with her. She had to remind herself for the umpteenth time that she was not a helpless human being anymore. She remembered Caroline telling her something that Klaus had said a few days after Elena found out she was pregnant when she had asked him if he would ever want to be human again. The words repeated like a mantra in her mind; strong, ageless, fearless… strong, ageless, fearless… strong, ageless, fearless…_

_Facing the angry witch in Elijah's bedroom she had to admit to herself that she didn't feel that way._

_Lightening flashed behind the bottomless brown eyes. "You foolish girl," she spat. "You let the ungrateful child fill your mind with her lies. I would have raised your daughter as my own and left you to live in peace. Now I think I'll kill you after taking the child."_

_"She's gone," Elena spoke with more confidence then she felt. If she had learnt anything as a cheerleader it was 'fake-it-till-you-make-it'. "You'll never find her."_

_"I don't understand your reasoning, Elena," she eyed the symbols and scattered herbs on the bedding, "with me you knew she would be well cared for, but you chose to send her away."_

_"Elena chose to send Miranda away from you," he glanced at the stiff set of her shoulders. "There is nothing for you here now aunt."_

_She looked over her youngest nephew and the doppelganger at his side. "I find I don't believe you Kol." Dahlia's eyes flickered to the still smoldering bowl. "I think you sent her away to buy yourselves time… no mother gives up her own child so easily."_

_"You think that was easy?" Elena cried. She felt her fangs descend as the veins under her eyes blackened and writhed. "This was the hardest decision I've ever had to make." She pointed wildly to the bed._

_"I don't doubt it was my dear," Dahlia's eyes glittered. "I doubt that you've actually given her up. I think you've tried to buy yourselves time, and that your little girl will be back here in a few days." She smiled sweetly. "The only question is: who will be left standing."_

_Elena didn't hesitate. She spun on her heel and flashed through the balcony doors behind Caroline and Kol who had picked up Bonnie. They didn't stop until they reached the entrance to the caves._

_"Now what?" Bonnie gasped for breath and slapped away Kol's hands._

_"Now we find my siblings," Kol peered into the darkness, "before she figures out what we're doing."_

_"You think they'll be in here somewhere?" Caroline followed his gaze._

_"Yes," Kol led them inside. "There is a cavern inside that vampires and werewolves cannot answer unless of course they've been neutralized and placed inside by a witch."_

_"If they are stuck inside, and we can't enter then how do we get them out?" Elena blinked back her tears._

_"That's what Bonnie's for," he offered her a tight-lipped smile._

* * *

9:17PM

"Alright Miranda," Elena gently rubbed the baby's back, "tonight is not going to be like last night. Do you understand me young lady?" She kissed Miranda's dark hair when she laid her head on Elena's shoulder.

Elena walked back and forth across the bedroom until the little girl's movements had all but stilled. She carefully laid Miranda down in the centre of the bed and arranged the pillows on either side of the sleeping baby. When she was certain Miranda was asleep she pulled out her laptop and sat cross-legged in an oversized armchair so she could keep an eye on the bed.

She was midway through reviewing her history presentation when there was a soft knock on the door. Assuming it was Caroline she didn't look up from her computer.

"It's open," she called softly knowing that everyone in the house was a vampire and capable of hearing her whispers.

"Hi," Rebekah poked her head around the door, "can I come in?"

"Would my saying no really stop you?" Elena closed her laptop and sat it on the side table. Despite Rebekah's earlier offer to disembowel Damon for his actions against her she was still wary of the only female Original. Elena thought it was best to tread carefully around Rebekah Mikaelson. "What do you want Rebekah?"

"I just…" Rebekah twisted her ring, "… I just wanted to apologize. I did suspect that it wasn't your idea. I could hear you all talking and it didn't sound like you were being given a direct order."

"Rebekah… I'm sorry to. Whether it was my choice or not I did still hurt you, and I didn't take it easy on you afterwards either."

"I think I can shoulder some of the blame for that," Rebekah chuckled. "I was predisposed to think the worst of you. I resented you because of my past with Stefan." She took a seat in the armchair beside Elena. "I also watched my brothers torn apart by not one but two doppelgangers. I thought you'd be more like them."

Elena blinked at the floor. So many people thought she'd be like Katherine.

"You're not," Rebekah clarified. "As much as I wanted to believe you were just as conniving as your predecessors I've come to realize that you are not. Don't get me wrong I think you can be judgemental, pushy and sometimes downright selfish."

"So I am like Katherine then," Elena scoffed.

"You didn't let me finish," Rebekah laughed. "You are also compassionate, caring, and smart, and from what I've seen this afternoon a very capable mother; nothing like Katherine Pierce."

"To be fair," Elena felt the need to defend her ancestor, "nobody knows what kind of mother Katherine would have been. She was robbed of the chance."

"That right there," Rebekah pointed to Elena, "that is why you are nothing like Katherine. She wouldn't hesitate to cut you down, but you actually take the time to try and see something good in her." She looked towards the bed and watched Miranda's chest rise and fall. "You are right though… nobody knows what kind of mother Katherine would have been. Maybe she would have been a decent person if she hadn't had her child ripped away."

"Maybe…"

Rebekah nodded and stood up to watch Miranda sleep. "She's adorable," she smiled at the little girl. "You are going to make a really cute baby one day."

"Yeah," Elena stood up and gazed at Miranda from the other side of the bed.

"Any idea who her father is?"

"No," Elena shook her head, "I have no idea. It could be someone I know, or maybe I'm not going to meet him for another ten years."

"How'd she get sent back here?" Rebekah reached down and smoothed back a wispy curl.

"We're not sure," Elena frowned. "All Bonnie could figure out was that it was a spell cast on her, but she doesn't know what it was, or why it was done."

"She is going to use a spell to send her back?" Rebekah asked.

Elena nodded. "She's going to use the full moon on the solstice in a few days. It's also a total lunar eclipse… according to Kol those three events haven't happened together since…"

"1638," Rebekah finished. "I remember. There were some interesting that night," she laughed. Her smile fell slightly when she remembered a rumor she had heard a few months later. She'd dismissed it as codswallop though and hadn't bothered to tell her brothers about it; it was just vampires and wishful thinking.

"Yeah," Elena nodded. "Klaus says it will be more than enough power for Bonnie to draw on."

"It will," Rebekah agreed, "a full moon would have been enough." She cleared her throat before turning to Elena. "Would you like to study for the chemistry test with me? I'm afraid I don't understand much of it, and I'd like to actually pass without compulsion."

"Sure," Elena motioned her back to the chairs and pulled out her chemistry notes.

"Thanks," Rebekah smiled gratefully. She had half expected Elena to say no.

"What are friends for?" Elena's eyes widened when she realized what she had said. "I-I…"

"It alright," Rebekah smiled. "I kind of like it. I could definitely use more friends."

"You can never have to many," Caroline called from the door. "Assuming Elena's forgiven you for the attempted murder I will to."

Elena looked over her shoulder and nodded to Caroline.

"Okay then," Caroline walked inside and shut the door quietly.

"Just like that?" Rebekah asked.

"Just like that," Caroline nodded, "but I reserve the right to change my mind if you attack my friend again. That's what friends do. They hate their friend's enemies without question, and forgive them when told. That's blind loyalty."

"That's family," Rebekah added. "That's what you do for family."

"I guess that's what we are," Elena smiled at Caroline and opened her notebook. "Shall we start with physical constants?"

Nearly two hours later Elena was struggling to keep her eyes open so they called an end to the study session. When Caroline and Rebekah left Elena brushed her teeth in the ensuite and changed into her pajamas. She moved one of the pillows and slid into bed beside Miranda. With one arm beneath her head she counted the breaths the baby took until she slipped off into dreams.

> _"Good morning," she smiled sleepily._
> 
> _"Good morning," his hand skimmed her hip. He grinned before leaning over to brush his lips over hers._
> 
> _Elena allowed the gentle kiss to continue for a moment before pushing back and deepening it. She bit her lip to stifle her smile when he broke away and started kissing her cheek and jaw. Her eyes fluttered as her gaze fell to the space between them._
> 
> _"There's a baby in the bed," he followed her eyes._
> 
> _"I know," Elena nodded and ran her hand up his arm._
> 
> _His eyes twinkled when the smirk crossed his face. "There's no baby in the shower."_
> 
> _Elena's eyes flickered over his face and chest. "There is no baby in the shower," she agreed._
> 
> _They rolled out of bed quickly and carefully before laying a pillow on either side of the Miranda._
> 
> _Elena felt a delicious ache settle between her thighs when he picked her up and flashed them into the ensuite bathroom._


	13. Monday, December 20, 2010 Part 1

7:56AM

“Is she not going?” Caroline checked her watch and glanced back up the stairs. “Elena come on! You’ve got a presentation.”

“Where is she?” Rebekah adjusted her bag over her shoulder. “We can run, but she’s going to be late. Elijah, go check on her,” she waved at her brother as he was coming down the stairs.

“Why me?” He paused on the staircase.

“Because she’s probably still asleep and none of us find a sleeping doppelganger appealing,” Klaus lifted his coffee cup in silent salute. “Besides if she is going then you’re in charge of the baby; she doesn’t trust anyone else.”

Elijah rolled his eyes and shook his head but sped back up the stairs anyway. He paused outside her door and knocked gently. He waited a moment before knocking again. When there was no response he pushed the door open softly.

“Elena,” he called. Stepping inside his ears quickly located her on the bed. Her rapid heartbeat initially made him think that she was awake, but on a second glance it was clear that she was asleep and in the throes of a dream. The slight smell of arousal told him it was a very good dream and that she would probably be less than pleased if he woke her up.

Elijah came around to her side of the bed. Miranda slumbered peacefully in the centre of the bed with a pacifier in her mouth. He took a seat on the edge of the bed to watch them sleep for a few seconds.

His eyes snapped from Miranda to Elena when he heard his name. He felt his eyebrows lift when she realized that she was still very much asleep. Curiosity warred with reason and his waning sense of propriety. He had to force himself not to enter her mind and see just what she was dreaming of. Instead he took her shoulder and gently shook her.

“Elena,” his eyes widened when she arched her back and turned towards his voice. “Elena,” he cleared his throat and tried again. “It’s time to wake up.”

She hummed contentedly and turned her head exposing the curve of her slim neck. Her eyes fluttered open and slowly focused on him.

He choked down his grin when she blushed and averted her eyes. “Terribly sorry to wake you,” he applauded himself when his voice came out level, “but Rebekah and Caroline are wondering if you will be attending school today.”

“Oh… school,” she tossed her head back against the pillow. “I have a test and a presentation,” her eyes swivelled to Miranda where she was starting to stir.

“I can take care of Miranda,” Elijah reassured her with a smile, “unlike my brothers she seems to like me.”

Elena sat up carefully and bit her lip. She felt her breath catch in her throat when she turned to look at him and found him a few inches from her face. “A-are you sure? I’m certain you’ve got better things to do today.”

“Nonsense,” he smirked, “I find myself in need of a distraction today…”

“And she’s a very cute one,” Elena finished and stifled her yawn. “I guess I’ll go to school, then.”

“Okay,” Elijah’s eyes fell to her parted lips, “one more thing… it’s after 8.” He saw the moment the panic entered her eyes. He was mildly impressed with how fast she ran into the ensuite and emerged ready for school.

She paused at the door and adjusted her bag on her shoulder. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“I’m sure now go,” Elijah waved her off and picked up Miranda. He waited until he heard the three women close the front door before turning to Miranda. “Just so you know,” he changed her diaper and cradled her to his chest, “I think I deserve some kind of award for not mentioning that.”

Miranda blinked slowly and rubbed the sleep from her eyes with a tiny fist.

“I know,” he chuckled and kissed her head, “you have no idea what I’m talking about, but your mom was having a very interesting dream.”

Meanwhile Elena was fastening her seatbelt in Rebekah’s convertible. Her eyes darted from one blond to the other when she felt them staring at her.

“What?” She pulled down the visor and started checking her reflection in the mirror as Rebekah sped through Mystic Falls. “Is there something on my face?”

“No,” Caroline shook her head and smirked wickedly. “Did you have sweet dreams Elena? Or were they more savoury?” Her eyes sparkled in the backseat.

Elena froze when she heard them both snicker. She hadn’t thought anything of her lingering feelings of arousal until Caroline had mentioned it. The sudden knowledge that her companions were vampires and could smell her turned her face into a tomato.

“You can smell me?” She ran her hands through her dark hair when they nodded. “Ohhhh…. That means he could to.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Rebekah reassured her, “Elijah wouldn’t mention it. Kol would never let you hear the end of it, but Elijah is unlikely to ever bring it up.”

“How long was he in my room before I came downstairs?” Elena whispered. The knowledge that she had a tendency to talk in her sleep made her stomach twist into knots.

“A few minutes,” Caroline shrugged. She tried to stifle her laugh when she realized what was causing Elena’s sudden mortification. “You were dreaming of Elijah and now you’re worried that he heard you say something in your sleep?”

“No,” her sharp cry came a little too fast and a little too shrill.

“You were having a sex dream of my brother?” Rebekah tossed the car in park. “Do you like him?”

Elena grunted and leaned forward to prop her forehead on her hand.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Rebekah rolled her eyes. “I suppose I could get on board with that… so long as he’s the only one of my brothers you’re interested in.”

“What?” Elena’s head snapped up. “Yesterday you hated me… and I know we agreed to try and be friends again, but I didn’t expect this.”

“What can I say,” Rebekah shrugged. She knew exactly what she could say. She might have disliked Elena after the daggering incident but she was not blind to her brothers growing affections; she was fairly certain he was in love with her. She had to admire his self-restraint if it had been Nik or Kol waking a woman they had obvious feelings for things would have ended differently. “It is just Elijah right? I don’t want to watch my brothers torn apart again by another Petrova.”

“You really think I’d ever feel anything for Klaus?”

“Fair enough,” Rebekah nodded. “What about Kol?”

“While Kol is starting to grow on me, I can’t say that I have any romantic interest in him.”

“You are interested in Elijah then?”

“Of course she is,” Caroline grinned. “Elena’s totally in love with him. If you ask me that’s the real reason she broke off ties with the Salvatores.”

“Caroline,” Elena shook her head and sighed. She couldn’t find it in her to deny the allegation.

Rebekah nodded once before hopping out of the car. She spent the morning preoccupied with her own mind. Elena liked her brother, but Elena was going to have a baby didn’t that mean she was going to live a human life?

Rumors from early 1639 circulated in her brain when she thought of the whole situation. Was it possible? She needed another look at the baby.

During third period she sent a text to Caroline to ask if there were any pictures from the last day. She got an almost immediate reply. The attached photo made her eyes widen, and drew the attention of the teacher; Rebekah found herself forced to compel the teacher to ignore her outburst before going back to examining the photo. She was so preoccupied with the picture that she didn’t notice the pair of eyes watching over her shoulder.


	14. Monday, December 20, 2010 Part 2

12:00 PM

Elijah stared at Niklaus in challenge. Miranda needed a diaper change and Kol had dared his hybrid brother to do it. Elijah was prepared to do it himself, but the idea of his arrogant little brother trying his hand was appealing.

"Why is it that I am the one being challenged?" Klaus eyed the baby warily. Her eyes seemed to reflect the same challenge as Elijah's; they sparkled with amusement brought on by his brother's grin. "Why not Kol?"

"Because unlike you Nik," Kol smirked and dropped into a chair, "I don't listen to everything Caroline says. If anyone was paying attention to her on Saturday it was you."

"I don't know Kol," Elijah looked over his shoulder, "Niklaus is more inclined to stare at her than listen to her. If he did listen to her he would have given up on his pursuit months ago."

"That's true," Kol nodded. His mischievous eyes darted from Miranda to Nik. "Which will make this all the more interesting; unless of course you're too scared to try Nik?"

"I am not afraid of a child," he glared at his baby brother.

"Well go on then," Kol waved to Miranda, "I'm sure she doesn't bite, and if she does there is nothing to worry about since she has no teeth."

Elijah couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled up. His amusement was infectious enough that Miranda started giggling to; she didn't realize what was happening until she was lying on the couch.

"Ah," she huffed and kicked her legs.

"Has anyone ever told you that you have your mother's glare?" Klaus grumbled. It was true the look in her dark eyes was entirely Elena Gilbert. The set of her mouth was different, but still somehow familiar.

Contrary to his brothers' beliefs Klaus had been paying attention to Caroline. He made quick work of the dirty diaper before looking for the clean one.

"Not that I have much experience with this," Kol drawled, "but I am fairly certain that you need to get the clean diaper before starting."

"Shut it Kol," Klaus growled.

"No need to for that Niklaus," Elijah chastised with a grin, "Kol is right. I'll go and get one."

Klaus turned back towards Miranda to wait. He was mildly surprised when her glare melted away to be replaced with an innocent smile. Perhaps it came from a millennium of having Kol as a younger brother, but Klaus was instantly wary of that smile; it was the same one his little brother used whenever he was about to do something naughty.

Klaus' blue eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What are you planning?"

"Really, Nik?" Kol chuckled. "She's a baby. She's not planning anything."

"She's got this angelic smile on her face," Klaus locked eyes with Miranda.

"Most people would consider that normal for a baby," Kol rolled his eyes. Nevertheless he stood up and moved to sit on the couch.

Miranda tilted her head back and smiled sweetly up at him. She lifted one hand and wrapped it around Kol's finger before it happened.

Kol's eyes widened when she squeezed his index finger tightly. His surprise turned to genuine amusement when he heard Nik curse under his breath.

"Elijah," he called desperately, "hurry up."

Kol threw his head back and laughed.

"What's going on in here?" Elijah froze in the doorway; his lips quirked up in an amused smile when he saw Niklaus' hand under the baby. "Well that's one less diaper to change."

Kol wiped away a few tears of mirth and turned Miranda around. He quickly cleaned her back up and took the fresh diaper from Elijah. "You know," he started buttoning the snaps of the sheep covered blue onesie, "you are really growing on me kid."

Elijah laughed and watched Niklaus flash out of the room mumbling something about bleach. He was about to take Miranda back when his phone went off in his pocket.

"I've got her," Kol assured him. He lifted Miranda over his head and swung her gently from side to side.

Elijah waited to see how Miranda would react before answering his phone.

"Elena," he suppressed a laugh when Kol laid the baby on the ground and started to tickle her. Miranda didn't seem to have any qualms with his youngest brother.


	15. Monday, December 20, 2010 Part 3

12:27 PM

Elena chewed on her lip and stared at her phone. Her fork made lazy trails through her salad while she debated her next move. On the one hand she was still mortified that Elijah had been able to smell her that morning. On the other she found herself experiencing some severe separation anxiety; she needed to know how things were faring at the mansion with Miranda.

She closed her eyes and forced herself to take three deep breaths. Nothing ever seemed daunting after three deep breaths. Opening her eyes she pressed the call button and lifted the phone to her ear. Elijah was a gentleman, right? He wouldn't mention it, right?

_"Elena."_

"Elijah," she bit her cheek. "Are you laughing?" Had he seen her ID and been reminded of the situation earlier.

_"Yes I am. Niklaus scared Miranda early Saturday morning and it seems that she has gotten her revenge."_

Elena could hear Klaus shouting in the background that this was not a story to be repeated.

"Is she okay? Is Miranda alright?"

_"She's perfectly fine. She spent the first hour looking everywhere for you, but now she's settled in. She's actually playing with Kol right now."_

"How's that going?" She set down her fork and placed her chin in her hand. Elena struggled to imagine Kol down on the ground playing with the infant.

_"Rather well. She seems to like him a lot more than Niklaus."_

"I don't have anything to worry about then?" Elena frowned when a shadow appeared at the table.

_"No… everything is just fine here."_

"Okay," she swallowed when she looked up into inquisitive green eyes. "I have to go. I'll see you later." Elena didn't wait for the reply before hanging up the phone. "What's up Stefan?"

"Just had a few questions for you," he nodded to the empty chair across from her. "May I sit?"

"Is that one of your questions?" Elena sighed. She picked up her fork and told him the seat was empty. "I'm sorry that was rude. I didn't get much sleep this weekend."

"Studying for your chemistry test?"

"Among other things," Elena nodded. The sleepless Saturday with Miranda was catching up with her. She had gotten plenty of sleep last night, but her dreams, while exceedingly pleasant, had not been conducive to rest. Adding her physical frustration made her rather grumpy. "You said you wanted to ask me a few questions."

"Yeah," Stefan crossed his arms on the table. "You said you chose yourself… I was just wondering: was there someone else?"

"No," Elena shook her head; at least not at the time. She thought back to Rebekah's words in the car and wondered if the Original had meant to imply that Elijah had feelings for her as well. She had certainly made it seem that way; that she could see something happening between her and Elijah. "There was no one else."

"Okay," Stefan nodded. He leaned a little closer and whispered. "Follow up question: why was there a picture of you in bed with Elijah Mikaelson on his sister's phone? And whose baby was that?"

"I don't know what you are talking about," she denied.

Elena's stomach plummeted as her eyes grew wide. Caroline  _had_ taken a picture, and she must have sent it to Rebekah.

"I think you do," Stefan sat back in his chair. "You and he looked rather cozy in the picture. If it wasn't for the baby I would have thought you were about to roll over on top of him."

Elena felt a shiver travel down her spine at the not unappealing suggestion. If Miranda hadn't been between them would she have done it? She forced herself to focus on Stefan who was still speaking.

"I can't say I'm surprised really. There was always something between you two. The only thing surprising was the baby. What's up with the baby? Did the Original's adopt or something?"

"Does it really matter to you Stefan?" Elena tapped her fork against the table.

"Honestly?" Stefan asked. "No, it doesn't. I'm just curious. You chose yourself, and I'm going to respect your decision… even if I think it's a really stupid one that leads you to an Original. I'm just curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat," Elena smiled and leaned back.

"Is that your way of saying you won't tell me?" Stefan crossed his arms and quirked an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Elena grinned. "It is."

"I suppose I'll have to live with that," he nodded and stood up. He paused before leaving the table. "I hope it works out for you Elena. I don't know what's going on with you and him, or that baby but it was a nice picture. You looked, very much, like a family."


	16. Monday, December 20, 2010 Part 4

3:38 PM

Elena opened the door and ran into the house. Her feet quickly crossed the distance into the study. The sight before her was enough to make her pause.

Klaus sat in an arm chair with a book open in his lap every few seconds his eyes would lift to the trio on the floor.

Kol and Elijah were both sitting on the floor with Miranda between them. She had a firm hold on Kol's finger and was tugging on Elijah's green silk tie.

"Ma-ma-wa," Miranda babbled and grinned. Her eyes landed on the elephant and she immediately lost interest in her 'friends'.

"How does it feel knowing you can be so easily replaced?" Klaus smirked. "And by a toy I got her at that?"

"Heartbreaking," Kol gasped dramatically. He dropped onto his belly and looked Miranda in the eyes. "Surely I am more interesting than a stuffed elephant?" He tugged gently on the animal's tail and pouted when she hugged it tighter.

"She does love that elephant," Elena crossed the room and fell to sit cross-legged beside them. Elena couldn't stop the smug grin when Miranda dropped the elephant and reached for her.

"Not as much as you," Kol grumbled.

"Aww," Elena picked up Miranda and hugged her to her chest, "are you jealous Kol?"

"No," he denied and sat back up.

Elena laughed and kissed Miranda's nose. "Did you miss me?"

"Ga-na-ma-ba-da," she closed her hand around Elena's hair and tried to lift it to her mouth.

"I have to say I'm hurt Miranda," Kol reached up and tickled her toes, "you tossed me aside for an elephant. And you tossed the elephant aside for your mom."

"What can I say?" Elena shrugged. "She loves her mama."

"That she does," Elijah smiled softly at the baby. Elena might not have had a baby yet, but it was very clear that she already loved the child. He wanted to resent Miranda since her promised existent was indicative of his own lost chance, but he found himself quite fond of her as well.

Elijah laughed when Miranda twisted in Elena's arms and reached for him.

"Fickle little girl, aren't you?" Klaus quipped.

"Hey," Elena pouted, "I just get home and you're already casting me off. Now I'm jealous." She suppressed a laugh when Miranda reached for her.

"Here we go again," Caroline snickered.

"What do you mean?" Rebekah tilted her head and watched Elena and her brothers. Miranda was having a hard time deciding who she wanted.

"When Elena got here on Saturday Miranda kept switching back and forth."

"What can I say?" Elijah glanced at his sister. "She likes me."

_That she does,_ Rebekah thought,  _the only question is why._ She suppressed a smile when Elijah lifted the baby up and blew on her cheek; Miranda giggled and curled her fingers in his short hair.

"I spend all day worrying about you, and you just toss me aside like chopped liver," Elena crinkled her nose and kissed Miranda's other cheek. "Are you going to come back to mama?" She held up her hands.

"Ma-ma," Miranda grinned and tugged on Elijah's hair. "Ma-ma-ma-ma." She wrapped a chubby arm around Elena's neck.

Elena moved with the baby. When Miranda stopped pulling Elena found her mouth was only a few inches from Elijah's jaw. She tilted her head to kiss Miranda's nose and shivered when his slight stubble brushed her cheek and tried not to think about how that would feel scraping over more sensitive areas.

She grinned and snaked her hand around Miranda's back. Elena quickly and carefully pulled her away so that Miranda was lying in her arms and laughing.

"Baby thief," Elijah nudged her shoulder.

"Is it stealing if she's mine?" Elena dipped Miranda back and lifted her up.

"I suppose not," he chuckled and caught one of Miranda's feet.

"Then I'm not a baby thief," she glanced at him through the corner of her eye.

"You are correct," Elijah tickled Miranda's foot, "I however am one."

"Oh no," Elena laughed and leaned back when he reached for Miranda. "Don't you dare!"

Miranda laughed delightedly when she found herself caught midway between Elena and Elijah. He slid one arm around Elena to keep her from escaping and the other under Miranda.

"Now that's adorable," Kol snickered. He pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of the grinning group.

Elena's eyes caught the phone when it was passed to Caroline. "Exactly how many pictures are floating around now?"

"I only took one," Caroline held up her hands defensively. "Yesterday morning. Why?"

"Because Stefan saw it," Elena replied, "I assume over Rebekah's shoulder."

"Rebekah wanted to see the picture," Caroline shrugged and pulled up the image on her phone before passing it to Elena. "What did Stefan say?"

"He wanted to know why there was a baby in the mansion," Elena pressed her lips together when she examined the picture. "I didn't tell him." She smiled when Miranda tapped the much smaller image of herself. "Yes, that's you."

Miranda cooed. She turned to Elijah and grabbed his tie.

Elena couldn't shake the feeling that Stefan was right: they looked like a family.

* * *

_Elijah's dark eyes narrowed when he stepped inside and found no sign of her. Up until that point he hadn't asked after Miranda; he had assumed she was in the care of Jeremy. The assumption had continued until they had stepped into the lake house._

_"Elena, where is Miranda?" The panic in his voice echoed in the open space._

_Elena collapsed against the kitchen wall. The enormity of the day finally caught up with her. Her hands ran back through her hair and pulled sharply on the strands._

_Elijah caught her sliding body and held her steady. He felt as if he had never known true fear until the moment he saw her break down in his arms. Lifting her trembling chin his eyes focused on the wriggling veins under her wet eyes. The tears left glistening tracks down her cheeks. His voice caught in his throat when he repeated the question._

_"Where is our daughter?" Had Dahlia taken her? Was she lost to them?_

_Elena swallowed and forced herself to take three deep breaths. Her mother always said that nothing ever seemed as daunting after three deep breaths._

_"2010," she bit her lip to stop the trembling, "with you. Turns out Miranda landing in the past wasn't an accident." Her mother was wrong._

_"You sent her back?" He froze and stared at her with wide eyes. "Elena?"_

_She nodded quickly. "Kol suggested it… and we were out of options… Dahlia had made it inside the house Elijah." Her voice broke when she saw the firm set of his jaw. He was still famished and the knowledge that she'd sent his child away, even for her own safety, was causing his anger to rise. "I-I didn't see another choice… please tell me there was no other choice…"_

_"There was no other choice," he assured her. "You did what you had to do." He wrapped his arms around her shaking shoulders. "How long until she comes back?"_

_"Four days," Kol set a cooler of blood bags on the table. He opened it and passed two to each of his siblings._

_"We have four days to figure out how to get rid of Dahlia once and for all," Caroline opened the blood bag when Klaus struggled with it. Kol hadn't brought enough to the cave._

_"I might be able to help with that."_

_Six heads snapped to the door at superhuman speed. The flash of lightening outside illuminated the woman's blond hair._


	17. Monday, December 20, 2010 Part 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These next few chapters are going to be shorter. They are snapshots of everyone's perspective during the same period of time.

_"Last time you tried to help Dahlia survived and desiccated three of us," Klaus hissed._

_"I made a mistake," she breathed. "I thought the spell would work. I thought it would render her mortal."_

_"You thought?" Elijah glared at her. "How are we to know you were not working with her? We know nothing about you."_

_"For all we know you've led her right to us," Kol's hands curled around the back of one of the dining room chairs until his knuckles turned white, "an agent of our dear aunt._

_"She was the one who raised you after all; there is something to be said for loyalty," Klaus drained another blood bag._

_"You're wrong about me." Freya lifted her chin and glared at him. "I loathe that woman more than you could ever know. She was the devil who took everything from me: my love, my will to live, my ability to die, and my child. Believe me when I say I want her dead."_

_There was a moment of tense silence. Elena considered snapping Freya's neck. Since she was under a plethora of protection spells it wouldn't actually kill her. Freya had warned them a few days ago and offered them a spell that would kill Dahlia. Only it hadn't worked. Dahlia survived the weapon they had bound the concoction to and come back with a vengeance; because of Freya's mistake she had to send her daughter away._

_They had very few options at the moment though, so Elena swallowed her anger. "What do we do?"_

* * *

8:20 PM

"Elena Gilbert?" Rebekah leaned against the doorframe of her brother's study.

"What about her?" Elijah glanced up from the leather bound book laid out on his desk. "Have you decided to call off your truce? That is your prerogative, but I will not see her harmed." His voice held a note of warning.

"That right there," Rebekah flashed across the room and braced her hands on his desk, "that is what I want to talk to you about."

"I'm afraid I don't follow."

"You care about her," Rebekah's eyes did not miss subtle shift in his complexion. "You've done it again haven't you?"

"Done what Rebekah?" Elijah's eyes dropped down to his book.

"Fallen for another one," Rebekah tilted her head. "You're in love with her aren't you? I saw the way you were looking at her earlier."

"I-," Elijah sputtered. Was he really that obvious?

"I'm not a fool 'Lijah," Rebekah glared at him, "don't try to treat me like one by denying it. You're head over heels in love with Elena Gilbert, and rather fond of her child."

"And that's why it doesn't matter," Elijah sighed and crossed his arms. "She's going to have a child Rebekah. Sometime in the future she is going to give birth to a beautiful baby girl."

"Who is to say she won't change her mind?" Rebekah perched on the edge of his desk.

"Have you seen the way she looks at Miranda?" Elijah leaned back in his chair. "Elena wants that little girl."

_Have you seen the way that little girl looks at you?_ Rebekah raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "You have no way of knowing the circumstances around that baby's conception," she chose another tactic.  _If I'm right I have very little time to make sure this happens._ The longer she watched Miranda with Elijah and Elena the more certain Rebekah became that the rumors had not been rumors.

"I would assume…"

"You know what they say when you assume…" Rebekah trailed off and met his eyes. "I don't know what your future holds Elijah, but I do know that Elena cares you. You might want to try talking to her."

Elijah blinked when Rebekah flashed him an encouraging smile before disappearing at vampire speed. He thought about her words. Elena cared for him. He knew she'd been having erotic dreams in which he was featured but he had chalked that up to her unconscious mind. Physical attraction was one thing, but he had only dared dream that she might harbor feelings for him.

Listening carefully he located her in the ensuite attached to her bathroom. If he was correct then she was just pulling Miranda out of the tub.

Elijah took the time for three deep breaths and flashed up the stairs.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to say that this story started as a one shot. And now it is definitely going to be at least 30 chapters long.
> 
> Also I don't work in the summer and I'm looking for a summer project. I've been toying with this idea for a while... ever since the cure and Amara came into play during TVD. It is a soulmate reincarnation AU. The gist of it is this:
> 
> In a past life Elena was the identical twin sister of Amara. She was married and preparing to start a family when Amara betrayed Quetsiyah. Q wanted to punish Amara for her sins and sentenced her to an eternity of torment knowing that she was the result of the death of her sister's husband, her sister, and her unborn niece or nephew.
> 
> 2000 years later Elena takes the cure and suddenly ceases to be Elena. She now has the memories from her first life, but tries to assimilate into her present life... events transpire and she confides in one of her friends (that she doesn't remember being friends with), this friend tells her of one person who will do anything to keep Elena alive.
> 
> She gets the surprise of her life when she is taken to NOLA and, after meeting the hybrid who will protect her, comes face to face with her dead husband.


	18. Monday, December 20, 2010 Part 6

_"We need to collect the ingredients again: sacred soil from her homeland, the ashes of her oppressors, and the blood of the one person she loves most." Freya counted off the ingredients. "Combining them together will not kill her, but it will make her mortal. If we combine them we can make a field that will strip away her immortality."_

_"She could then be killed," Elijah took Elena's trembling hand, "by any means?"_

_"Yes," Freya nodded. "That's the spell I gave you the first time."_

_"Then why are we trying it again?" Elena cried. Her hand clenched tightly. She blinked when she heard a snap. "Sorry," she apologized._

_"It's fine," Elijah grunted when the bones in his hand healed. "Elena is right," he turned to Freya, "why are trying the same spell again?"_

_"Because I got the wrong ingredient," Freya sighed. "The blood was from the wrong witch."_

_"And who pray tell is the right witch?" Elena growled._

_"Our mother."_

_"Well that might be a problem," Klaus paced across the room, "seeing as she's dead."_

_"Didn't you hang on to her body though?" Kol's head spun to his half-brother. "You were carting her around with the rest of us for centuries. Where is mother's coffin?"_

_"If I had her body I might be able to get some blood from her," Freya's eyes flickered from Klaus to Kol. "Where is she?"_

_Klaus rubbed the back of his neck and grimaced. "In the basement at the mansion."_

_"That might be a problem," Caroline ran her hands through her hair. She relaxed marginally when Klaus placed his hand on her hip. "Dahlia's taken over the mansion. She could destroy the body."_

_"No she can't," Klaus shook his head. "Her coffin was reinforced by Ayana. Only a descendant of Ayana can open it."_

_"We need to get mother's coffin out of the mansion," Rebekah tapped her foot impatiently._

_"We also need Norwegian dirt and Viking ash," Elijah finished. "Neither of which we can get in this country."_

_"Then we split up," Elena decided. "I'm staying here. I won't be leaving this town until my daughter is back in my arms."_

_"I'm not leaving either," Elijah said. "We'll get mother out of the mansion."_

_"I'll stay to open the coffin," Bonnie nodded. "Who is going for the dirt and ash?"_

_"I'll get the jet fueled up," Klaus reached for the lake house phone. He was unsurprised when Caroline volunteered to go with him._

* * *

8:47 PM

"Don't even think about it," Caroline hissed. She stepped in front of Klaus and glared.

"Think about what, love?" Klaus' hands slipped into his pockets. His blue eyes narrowed when she scoffed.

"Don't play dumb," she whispered harshly, "you were going to stop Elijah from going upstairs. You were going to stop him from going to Elena."

"Yes," Klaus took a step forwards and smirked, "I was going to do that. She likes him. I've seen it." He kept his voice low so they wouldn't be overheard. "She might even love him… enough to turn, and I need her to live a full human life. I need her to have that child."

"Who is to say she won't?" Caroline arched her eyebrow. "Would it really be so bad if she had a baby and then turned?"

"Caroline…"

"Klaus…" she mimicked his patronizing tone. "Don't get in the way. The future is going to play out the way it's going to play out."

"Why are you so intent on letting this happen?"

"Because," Caroline blinked when he stepped into her personal space, "he's good for her… and you can't deny she's good for him. There have been very few people in Elena's life who ever let her make her own decisions, few people who treated her like an equal; he does. Just let them be, Klaus."

"What about her baby? I'm not sacrificing a future doppelganger for my brother's love life," Klaus frowned.

"Have you seen the way she looks at him?"

"Did you not here me say she might love him?" Klaus narrowed his eyes.

"Not Elena," Caroline took a step back, "Miranda. She knows Elijah. She trusts Elijah. Children that age don't trust blindly they don't trust anyone they don't know, anyone they don't see every day of their lives. Whatever the future may or may not hold the one with Miranda features your brother."

Caroline might have been resistant to her best friend's feelings for the oldest Original if they had come out of left field, but they hadn't. It had started with a physical attraction which Caroline had understood; Elijah, like his brothers, was undeniably hot and the accent was to die for. She might have been objected if she hadn't seen their relationship develop into one of mutual respect.

"What's it going to take for you to leave them alone?" Caroline peeked up at him through her eyelashes.

Klaus eyes flickered over her determined stance. There was a fire in her gaze that sent a thrill through him. "Now, or for the rest of eternity?"

"Let's start with now," Caroline tilted her head and smirked. She had a feeling she knew where he was going with this.

"How about a distraction?" Klaus offered her a charming smile.

"That really depends on what you were thinking," Caroline nibbled her lip and followed him into the art studio.

"I could use a model," he motioned to the chaise.

"As long as you're not looking to do a nude study," Caroline smirked over her shoulder before moving to recline on the antique lounge.

"Are you offering, love," Klaus smirked and instructed her to rearrange her limbs.

"Not in this lifetime," Caroline scoffed. The thought of posing for him that way was not unappealing.

"Lucky for me I have many lifetimes ahead," he chuckled and picked up a paintbrush.

Caroline rolled her eyes and settled in to watch him work.


	19. Monday, December 20, 2010 Part 7

8:42 PM

"Alright little miss," Elena picked up Miranda from where she was laying on her tummy, "it's bath time for you."

Elena walked into the bathroom and set Miranda on the soft towel she had laid out on the floor. Elena pulled off her sweater so she was left in her white camisole before double checking the temperature of the water. Finding it perfect she removed Miranda's clothes and diaper before lifting her over the lip of the tub.

"I hope you're not afraid of water," Elena teased. She breathed a sigh of relief when Miranda raised no objections to being lowered into the few inches at the bottom of the tub. "Are you ready?" Elena filled the small bowl she had gotten from the kitchen and tipped it so the water poured slowly over Miranda's back.

Miranda squealed and splashed. She giggled and continued to splash her hands while Elena gently rubbed the soap into her skin. She rinsed off the soap and carefully wet Miranda's hair.

"Miranda," Elena cooed, "look at mommy." She made a silly face when she looked up making Miranda giggle. Elena's mouth fell open in shock when the water splashed up the sides of the tub to wet her shirt.

"You got me all wet," Elena tapped her nose. She felt the moisture seeping into the material as she lathered the baby shampoo into Miranda's dark hair.

She was just pulling the slippery child out of the tub when there was a knock on the door.

"It's open," she called. Elena wrapped Miranda in a towel and pulled the plug before stepping back into the bedroom.

"Elena," Elijah stepped inside.

"Elijah," she smiled and perched on the edge of the bed to dry off Miranda. "Since you're here can you pass me a diaper?"

"Of course," Elijah nodded and crossed the room. He picked up the diaper and a pink onesie before taking a seat beside Elena on the bed. "I thought we could…" he trailed off when she laid Miranda down and started dressing her.

"You thought we could what?" Elena glanced at him through the corner of her eye. Her head turned when she saw the slight flush on his neck. "Elijah?"

"Did-uh," his eyes settled on the baby, "did Miranda splash you by any chance?"

"She did why?" It took Elena a minute before realizing what he was asking. The diverted gaze was the thing that set her mind to working. She looked down to find the front of her shirt, soaked and plastered to her chest. "Oh…" blood rushed to her chest, "… bad time to not wear a bra."

"I'll finish here if you want to…"

"Yeah," she murmured, "thanks." She stood up and walked back into the ensuite.

Elijah might have snuck a second peek while she was walking away; he may be a gentleman but that had been a very nice view.

She felt the flush cover her face when she realized her pajama top was not much better, but at least it wasn't see through.

She remerged in a soft pink sleep set and suppressed a smile when she saw it was the same colour as Miranda's sleepwear.

"You wanted to talk to me?"

"I didn't say that," Elijah smiled and cradled Miranda's head as he bounced her gently.

"Did you come to steal the baby again?" Elena teased and sat beside him on the bed. She placed her hand on Miranda's back and rubbed soothing circles; she could see her dark eyes drooping where she rested against Elijah's chest. "Is this going to become a habit?"

"She's hard to resist," Elijah met her eyes and smiled.  _Just like her mother._

"I have a feeling that's not why you're here," Elena's hand brushed against his and sent an electric shock up his arm.

Elijah wanted to tell her, but he found the words stuck in his throat. Rebekah had said she cared for him, but she didn't say in what way; his sister had been known to pull a practical joke from time to time.

"You said you saw Stefan earlier," he heard the uptick in her heart, "I find it hard to believe he was merely curious about that picture." He had gotten a good look at the picture earlier.

"He wasn't jealous if that's what you're getting at," Elena shrugged. "Well… maybe a little bit."

"He had nothing to say?"

"Yes, but nothing worth mentioning," Elena frowned. "Damon might have had something to say, but luckily only Stefan saw it."

"Why did you break things off with them, Elena?" His voice was hushed so he wouldn't disturb Miranda who was being lulled to sleep by their dulcet tones. "I'm curious."

 _That's bull,_ Elena thought. "I made a choice."

"To live a human life," he cleared his throat.

"No," she shook her head and met his confused eyes. "Just because I'm going to have a baby doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to live a human life. For all we know I had a kid to shut up Klaus."

"I don't see using someone just to appease my brother," Elijah frowned when she laughed. "What's so funny?"

"How behind are you on medicine?" She tucked a strand of silky hair behind her ear. "It's the 21st century Elijah. Women don't need men to have children; there are other ways."

"What did you choose Elena?"

She tilted her head and met his eyes. "I chose to live my life," she smiled, "wherever that may lead me." Her eyes sparkled in the dimly lit bedroom. This time when her hand brushed against his it was deliberate. Her gaze darted to his mouth when covered her hand with his over Miranda's back.

"Where do you see life taking you, Elena?" He leaned a little closer to her.

"Honestly," she whispered, "I don't know." Her doe eyes turned to him and searched his gaze. "I've got some time to figure it out though."

"Options to explore?" His smile was lopsided when his breath fanned against her chin.

"Yeah," Elena breathed, "a few." She swallowed and blinked.

Elena wasn't sure how long they sat like that. Electricity seemed to fill the lack of space between them. The distance was just starting to close when they felt Miranda stir beneath their joined hands.

Elena's eyes fluttered closed. She breathed deep before backing up. "We should put her down," she murmured.

"We should," Elijah nodded. Even so it took him a moment to release her hand. When he did he stood up slowly and walked around the side of the bed to lay Miranda down. He mirrored Elena's motion and placed a pillow on either side of the sleeping infant.

"I should go, and let you and Miranda get some sleep," he cleared his throat. "I'd hate to wake her up."

"She does get a little cranky when she doesn't get enough sleep," Elena murmured and walked toward the door.

"Don't we all?" Elijah's turned back to her when he was in the hall.

"I tend to be sad and weepy," Elena rolled her shoulders back. "You saw that the other night."

"I wouldn't want you to get that way again." Impulsively he brushed her hair back over her shoulder. When she didn't object he allowed his knuckles to linger on her bare shoulder.

Her breath caught in her throat when he traced the line of her jaw. Her eyes drifted shut when he cupped her cheek.

Elena's eyes snapped open when he withdrew his hand and stepped back. Had she misinterpreted everything that had just transpired between them? She didn't think so. Tentatively she reached out and caught his sleeve.

Elijah turned his puzzled eyes to her. He felt them widen when she stretched up on her tiptoes to press a chaste kiss to his cheek. He fought down the urge to turn his head and capture her soft lips under his only when he heard a soft stirring from her bed.

Elijah knew he couldn't do what he really wanted right then; there wasn't enough time. He settled for raising her chin with his knuckle and brushing his lips over her smooth brow. Her erratic heartbeat was music to his ears.

"Goodnight lovely Elena," he murmured against her heated skin. His voice was softer than silk when he breathed against her ear: "pleasant dreams."

Elena's breath caught in her throat.  _Does he know?_ The teasing sparkle in his eye definitely suggested it.

She swallowed and watched him turn down the hall. Her reply came in a whisper that she knew he could hear as clear as day.

"Goodnight Elijah."


	20. Tuesday December 21, 2010 Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the mix-up last night. The Archive site kept timing out and I accidentally posted the wrong one. Here is teh correct chapter that should have been posted last night.  
> Thanks to Desriel for pointing that out to me. It should make a lot more sense now.

7:30 AM

It was the buzzing of her cell phone that woke her up. Elena blinked and peered blearily through the slits of her eyes. She was mildly surprised when the heat in her glare didn’t melt the offending combination of plastic and glass.

Sensing Miranda still sound asleep beside her gaze softened. Elena rolled over and sat on the edge of the bed before checking her caller ID. The name and face flashing on the screen had her eyes narrowing again. She stood up and let it go to voicemail while debating the merits of answering the phone.

When the device was silent again she looked back to Miranda. The little girl was sound asleep on her tummy; the way Elena had laid her when she’d woken up during the night.

Running a hand through her dark hair Elena grimaced when she felt the layer of oil that had settled in overnight. She adjusted the pillows on either side of Miranda before going to take a shower; she left the door open so she would hear if Miranda started to stir.

She was just stepping out of the shower and wrapping a fluffy white towel around her body when she realized something was not quite right. With a growing sense of trepidation she took a deep breath, grabbed the hairspray, and tiptoed back into the bedroom.

Elena’s stomach quivered when a cold breeze blew in through the open balcony doors. Gooseflesh rose on her arms. She shrieked when she saw the man by the bed and clutched her towel tighter to her chest.

The scream was a mistake. Not a second after the sound left her lips a hand clamped down over her mouth. Pain shot down her spine as her back collided with the door to the bathroom. There was a soft thud when the hairspray dropped onto the carpet. She whimpered around the hand. Her eyes darted to the bed where a piercing cry was rising.

Desperation clawed its way up her chest; she needed to get to Miranda.

On instinct she brought her knee up with every bit of force in her body. She broke away when her assailant fell to his knees and made a mad dash for the bed. Elena’s body tensed when the door was all but torn from its hinges; her body curled protectively around the infant in her arms half expecting a second attacker.

When she went untouched Elena lifted her head. She breathed a sigh of relief when her eyes landed on Elijah’s back. Feeling safer she took the time to murmur softly to calm Miranda who was still screaming at the top of her lungs.

She peered around him to see who had attacked her and balked when she recognized him.

“Damon?” She all but shrieked. “What are you doing here?”

“Rescuing you,” he ground out as the pain subsided. “Some thanks I get.”

“Elena does not require rescuing Damon,” Elijah fought to keep his voice civil. It was no easy feat when he could sense the anger and fear coming off of Elena and Miranda in waves. In that moment he wanted nothing more than to tear out several of Damon’s vital organs for him daring to frighten the child.

“Elena can speak for herself,” Damon jumped to his feet and glared.

“She’s a little busy calming a baby right now,” Elena scoffed around Elijah’s back. “You never let me speak for myself before, so why should now be any different? How did you even know I was here?”

“I pestered it out of Stefan,” Damon shrugged. “He said you were staying at the Original’s mansion. He didn’t say anything about a baby.” He took what was probably meant to be a menacing step forwards. “Get your things, get rid of that,” he pointed to the sniffling Miranda, “and we’ll go.”

“She’s not going anywhere with you Damon,” Elijah’s eyes hardened with his voice. He really didn’t like the way Damon was looking at Elena like she belonged to him, or the way he looked at Miranda like something stuck to his shoe.

“She’s not staying here and playing house,” he snarled and rushed Elijah.

There was a blur of movement. When it settled Elijah had Damon pinned to the wall a few inches from where Elena had been tossed earlier.

Elijah’s voice emerged in an authoritative whisper. “I’m an Original, Damon. Show a little respect before your betters, or at the very least humility.” Elijah scoffed at the thought that Damon figured himself capable of fighting a thousand year old vampire.

Elena tried not to feel too happy when she saw Damon’s face slowly turn vermillion. She struggled not to laugh hysterically at the absurdity of her current situation. She was wrapped in a towel protecting her child that didn’t even exist yet from an unhinged vampire who had bitten off more than he could chew.

“I’m not letting her stay here as a damn hostage,” Damon choked around his hand.

“I’m not a hostage Damon,” Elena winced when she got to her feet. She held Miranda’s ear over her heart to calm her down; the action had the added benefit of securing her towel which she suddenly realized was revealing a lot of her bare legs. She knew Elijah hadn’t looked but she could tell by the way Damon was leering through the corner of his eyes that he had seen his fair share of her inner thighs when she had stood up.

“Of course you are,” Damon rolled his eyes, “and you’ve clearly been compelled into submission.”

“I haven’t been compelled Damon,” Elena struggled to keep her voice level. “I am here of my own will and volition because I want to be here.”

Damon’s eyes fell to the vervain filled charm around her ankle; the one she had worn ever since giving her locket back to Rebekah. She hadn’t been compelled. He watched the way she kept one eye on Elijah and the other on the baby in her arms.

“So what you cut ties with us so you could move on to bigger and better?” He scoffed. “You’re no better than Katherine.”

Elena felt tears spring up in her eyes when he spitefully compared her to her doppelganger. She vainly tried to blink away the moisture. The haze that settled over her field of vision meant she was blind to Elijah’s subtle head movement. She was vaguely aware of the snap and several other voices entering the room. She fought against the hands lifting Miranda from her arms until she heard Caroline’s voice telling her everything was alright. She allowed Caroline to take Miranda before collapsing into the strong arms that wrapped around her back.

All she could think was that she should have answered Stefan's call.


	21. Tuesday December 21, 2010 Part 2

8:14 AM

Elena’s arms were peppered in goosebumps. The chills raced through her at lightning speed. The only combatant to her sudden cold was the hand briskly rubbing her bare shoulder. She figured Damon would be hurt when she broke things off with him but to compare her to Katherine was something else. He had basically accused her of breaking one bond before moving on to another, all in her own self-interest. He had said she was no better than a woman he had once referred to as a ‘psychotic evil vampire slut’.

She opened her eyes slowly to see that ‘her room’ had been cleared out in the few seconds she had taken to break. Only she remained in the warm embrace of Elijah.

He held her to his chest and carefully maneuvered her to sit beside him on the edge of the bed all the while reassuring her that she was nothing like Katherine.

“Where did he go?” She didn’t bother to specify who. She didn’t have to; Elijah was well aware of the person she was talking about. Her harsh glare at the space she had last seen him occupy would have given her away to anyone.

“I broke his neck and Niklaus took him downstairs,” his grip tightened around her shoulders. He released her immediately when she hissed in pain. “Elena?”

Elena leaned forward and gasped as the pain bloomed through her back. She pressed her lips together and bit back a moan when fire licked across her rib cage.

“Did I hurt you?” Elijah leaned forward and placed his hand on the small of her towel clad back. He hadn’t thought he had squeezed her that hard, it had been a long time since he’d lost control over his own strength. “Elena?”

“No,” she ground out, “not you.” She exhaled sharply. “Damon pinned me to the wall. I guess I was too concerned with Miranda to notice.”

Elijah leaned back and gently moved her hair over her shoulder. His jaw clenched tightly when he saw her mottled skin. Dark bruises marred her normally flawless olive complexion. His fingers ghosted over the exposed skin at the top of the towel.

“What are you doing?” Elena’s breath caught when his knuckles brushed over her spine. An entirely different fire settled under her skin at his touch. A flush crept up her neck when he lowered the towel. The damp material slipped from her grasp and pooled around her hips. She inhaled when his fingers traced a path over her ribs down to the small of her back. “Elijah?”

White hot rage bubbled up in his stomach. He wanted to eviscerate Damon Salvatore. If he had known of Elena’s injuries he doubted he would have taken the time to ensure Miranda’s eyes were turned away before striking. Her back was quickly turning black and blue. Elijah forced himself to calm down when her laboured breathing penetrated the rapid pounding of his own heart.

“Elena,” he carefully guided her back into an upright position, “you appear to have several broken ribs,” he caught the slight wheeze in her breath and frowned, “and possibly a punctured lung.”

“So a typical Tuesday in Mystic Falls?” Elena coughed.

Elijah lifted her chin and met her slightly dazed eyes. He wanted to tell her she was being ridiculous, but that sad truth was that physical injuries were practically a weekly occurrence. “You shouldn’t joke,” he frowned.

“Well my other option is to embrace the reality that I am nothing more than a fragile human,” she wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or offended that his eyes never left her face, “and that reality is terrifying. Forgive me if I choose to joke. So what’s my prognosis Doc?”

“You have a few options,” he sighed. “I can take you to the hospital, or I can heal you right now?”

Elena couldn’t stop the small laugh that bubbled up and over. “This is a first.”

“What is a first, Elena?” His eyes narrowed in confusion. Each laboured breath and wince of pain was a stab to his heart.

“You’re the first vampire to actually ask if I wanted blood or not,” her nose crinkled in pain, “Stefan, Damon, even Caroline would have forced their wrist in my mouth by now.”

“Does that mean you would prefer the hospital?”

“No,” she shook her head quickly, “I do not want to go to the hospital. Will you heal me please, and maybe close those doors I’m very cold?” Elena blinked when he disappeared. She heard the click of the doors and saw him settle in front of her again.

Elijah brought his wrist to his lips. His fangs descended and broke the skin. Using his right arm to steady her trembling spine he lifted his bloody wrist to Elena’s mouth. He bit back a low groan when her lips parted to take a long pull of his blood; her slim fingers curled around his hand for leverage and sent shockwaves up his arm.

When her mouth lifted from his wrist a moment later he leaned back and watched in satisfaction as the bruises quickly faded leaving her skin flawless once more.

Elena turned her head to meet his eyes. A strange sense of euphoria had settled over her when his blood entered her system. It was something she had never experienced before in the wake of vampire blood. She found herself getting lost in his dark eyes. His thumb wiping a drop of blood from the corner of her mouth snapped her from her catatonic state.

Goosebumps rose on her arms when his eyes darted to her slightly parted lips. Her eyes dropped to his chest. “Were you sleeping?” She whispered.

“I was,” his fingers threaded into her wet curls, “I woke up when I heard you scream.”

“Sorry,” she murmured, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“If you hadn’t you might have been worse off.”

During the short exchange they had moved marginally closer together until their mouths were less than an inch apart.

“It’s a good thing you woke up then,” her eyes drifted closed when his lips brushed gently over hers. She lifted her hand to grasp the back of his neck.

Elena sighed when his hand splayed across her lower back and pulled her flush against him. She broke away first when the need to breathe became an issue.

“Elijah?” She murmured when his lips started tracing a path to her ear. She chewed her lip and took a ragged breath causing her breasts to scrape deliciously against his chest. It wasn’t that she was overly opposed to their current predicament; it was just that things were posed to move very fast and she was feeling a little exposed. “Elijah,” she repeated.

“Elena,” he returned. He had caught the halting tone in her voice, the note that said please stop, and pulled back from her far enough to see her lidded eyes. The combined scent of his blood rushing through her veins and the arousal pooling between her thighs was getting to his head. He held his breath to clear his mind and rested his forehead against hers. “Is something wrong?”

Elena debated the merits of telling him. Considering how closely their bodies were now pressed there was no way he didn’t know.

“I-I’m naked.”

“I know.”

She blushed when she felt the deep chuckle rumble through him. “It’s not funny.”

“I know I’m sorry,” he composed himself. “If it makes you feel any better,” his hand snaked between them and lifted the edges of her towel, “I haven’t looked beyond your back.”

“I’m not sure if that helps or not,” she tilted her head and toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck.

His hands stilled from lifting the towel. “Would you prefer I look?” He smirked. Elijah was just beginning to move back so he could leave some space between them when there was a knock on the door. He’d barely secured the towel around her chest when Klaus poked his head in.

“Sorry to interrupt,” the grin on his face said he was anything but. “Your daughter wants you, Elena.” His blue eyes darted between the couple perched on the edge of the bed.

“I’ll be down in a minute,” Elena’s eyes fell to the rumpled bed spread.

Elijah glared at his brother when he made no move to exit the room. “I’ll leave you to get dressed,” Elijah cleared his throat. He made a mental note to punish his brother later for daring to interrupt. He stood up when she nodded and left her room stopping only to grip Niklaus’ elbow and force him into the hall.

“Ouch,” Klaus smirked when the door was shut behind them. “Are you going to tear into me for interrupting?”

“If it had been for any other reason yes,” Elijah twisted his wrist. His lips twisted into a tight smile when he heard the snap. “However, since it was for Miranda I’ll let it slide this time.”

“Sounds fair,” Klaus nodded. “I assume you will be having words with the elder Salvatore, brother.”

“I’d like to speak with Elena first and find out how she wishes to proceed,” Elijah started after his younger brother down the hall towards his own bedroom.

“You were in her room long enough,” Klaus remarked, “I would have assumed you had discussed that. Whatever you do,” his gaze darted down to Elijah’s pajama pants as he reset his arm, “you may want to take care of that first.”


	22. Tuesday December 21, 2010 Part 3

11:15 AM

Elijah flashed into the room where Elena was attempting to soothe a screaming Miranda. Lowering his burden to the ground he slowly crossed the study.

“Elena,” he laid a hand on her shoulder.

He regretted the action a second later when she jumped out of her skin. Elijah immediately lifted his hand and apologized profusely; he should have known better after the events of the morning.

“It’s alright,” Elena bounced on the balls of her feet and rubbed Miranda’s back. “I guess I’m just a little jumpy.”

That was the understatement of the century. The strange sense of calm that had settled over her shoulders after Elijah healed her had evaporated with Miranda’s tears.

Soothing the baby had reminded Elena of why she needed to be calmed in the first place. Thinking of Damon Salvatore had her blood boiling and her stomach trembling in fear. A man who had professed his supposed love for her not a week ago had broken her body and shattered her soul in a matter of moments.

She honestly wasn’t sure if she was happy or sad that he was still in the mansion. On the one hand she wanted to maim him; on the other she wanted him as far away from her child as possible. Preferably six feet underground.

Was she like Katherine? She had always hated the thought that she might be. Damon had essentially called her a whore; and why? He had heavily insinuated that she had broken things off with him and his brother to pursue Elijah. Had she subconsciously planned this? It had not been her intention to act on her feelings for Elijah when she broke things off with the brothers.

Although she had to admit if she had planned it out it would have been a very Katherine move: finding the strongest individual who would keep her alive at any cost. It would have been a truly calculating, self-serving, act.

She exhaled slowly and focused on Miranda’s hair. “Was he right?” She bit her lip and tried desperately not to cry. Miranda’s anxiety was rubbing off on Elena; combined with her own brought tears to her eyes.

“I have known Damon Salvatore a very short time Elena,” he lifted her chin with his knuckle. “I’ve known him to be impulsive, tactless, and reckless. I have never known him to be right.”

“Even a broken clock is right twice a day,” she whispered. Her eyes darted towards the door when she heard the distinct rattling of chains.

“Elena,” he shifted his hand to cup her cheek and drew her eyes back to his. “You are nothing like Katerina Petrova. Even before she spent centuries on the run all she knew how to do was lie and scheme; she never would have put another life before her own. She threw several innocents into the line of fire to escape Niklaus in the seventeenth century. You went willingly to meet him. I’ll admit I was shocked when you agreed to everything to keep your friends safe.”

“I really have no sense of self-preservation,” she chuckled darkly. “I was going to attack him with hairspray.”

“A rather ill-advised weapon,” Elijah cautiously touched her shoulder again.

“Was there a better choice in the bathroom?” She leaned into his arms when they circled around her back. Miranda finally quieted when she was enveloped between them.

“Nothing comes to mind,” he chuckled. His hands rubbed up and down her back slowly. He could feel the tension dripping down her spine when she rested her head on his shoulder.

A loud scream echoed through the halls. Elena felt her stomach clench tightly at the distant blood-curdling sound. Miranda whimpered and clutched at Elena’s damp hair. She could feel the muscles in Elijah’s chest tighten.

“Niklaus,” he kept his tone civil, but there was a clear note of warning in his tone. “Wait until Miranda is out of the house.”

Elena couldn’t hear Klaus’ response, but the silence that followed told her he had heard. She tilted her head back to meet Elijah’s eyes. “What’s going on?”

“Damon is downstairs,” Elijah’s jaw clenched, “Niklaus has him chained up. I find myself inclined to…” He trailed off and glanced at Miranda who had tipped her head back to look up at him. “I’ve installed a car seat in Rebekah’s vehicle. She is waiting outside; I thought you could take Miranda away from the house for a while.”

“Klaus agreed to that?” Her eyes landed on the bag he had set down earlier.

“I believe his exact words were ‘the benefits outweigh the risks’.”

“Just…” Elena sighed. “Just don’t kill him.”

Elena didn’t ask what exactly he planned to do with Damon. She didn’t have to; she was fairly certain she already knew. She might have posed an objection a week ago, but after his actions that morning, and the true colours he had shown her, she found she was not opposed to the ordeal he was about to endure.

“Rebekah’s my babysitter then,” Elena remarked drily, “to make sure I don’t run off with my own child.”

“He was expecting Caroline to go with you, but apparently she wants to be present for what’s about to happen. She seems eager to contribute actually.”

“She would be,” Elena hesitated. “Caroline has her own history with Damon; let’s leave it at that.”

“Very well,” he nodded. Elijah regretfully released her from his arms and picked up the bag. He led her outside to where Rebekah was waiting.

“Elijah,” Elena caught his sleeve when the car door closed on Rebekah and the baby. She tilted her head back to search his eyes. Even now with fire running through her veins she found his steady gaze calming: peaceful.

“Elena?” He took her hand from his arm and intertwined their fingers. He could hear Niklaus calling to him impatiently, and Caroline’s heels tapping on the concrete floor or the basement; Elijah waited for her to find the words she seemed to be searching for. Was she going to address what had happened between them that morning? The suspense built in his chest the longer she remained silent.

“About earlier… I…” He had enjoyed their kiss immensely, but it was not how he had imagined the first kiss to go. “I didn’t mean to… I didn’t want to…”

“Kiss me?” She cut him off. _I misread everything. He doesn’t like me… I should have known; he didn’t even look… I was basically there for the ogling._ “You didn’t want to kiss me?”

“No,” he tightened his hold on her hand when she tried to pull away. “I didn’t want to kiss you like that.” He tugged her closer and cupped her cheek with his free hand. “Although incredibly enjoyable I had imagined the first time I kissed you differently.”

Elena’s head tilted slightly to lean against his hand. Her doe eyes sparkled in the morning sun. “You’ve imagined kissing me?” She tugged her bottom lip between her teeth and peaked up at him through her lashes. “How exactly did you imagine it?”

“Well,” his fingers carded into her hair, “for starters I did not think you would be injured and naked.”

Elena glanced down at her winter jacket and rolled her shoulders. “I’m completely healed,” she smirked, “and fully clothed.”

“Good,” he teased, “it is rather cold out here.”

“It is,” she breathed. She smiled when his lips descended on hers. If there first kiss was hot and rushed than this one was sweet and slow. Their mouths glided together softly. Elena sighed and opened her mouth to allow his tongue into her mouth.

His fingers carded into her hair eliciting a moan as he drew her flush against his body. A shiver traveled down his spine when she wrapped one arm around his neck and the other around his back.

They were brought back to reality by the sound of sharp tapping on the car window. Elena rolled her eyes and sighed before stepping out of his arms and opening the car door. Her lips tingled. She watched, one hand on her lips the other on Miranda’s seat, as Elijah slowly faded in the passenger mirror.


	23. Tuesday December 21, 2010 Part 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This should make a lot more sense now.

12:00 PM

Caroline stepped slowly into the basement. She had never been a sadistic person. She had never wanted to cause someone physical for the injustices served to her. The types of revenge she had chosen to take were mostly petty: shaving cream in a locker, vicious rumors, mustard in toothpaste.

All of that had changed when she became a vampire. Every crime, every verbal putdown and cruel prank had become child's play with the lifting of her compulsion. She'd hated Katherine, she was a manipulative bitch who turned Caroline for her own purposes; she wanted Katherine dead for ending her human life.

Her hatred of Katherine Pierce was nothing compared to her hatred of Damon Salvatore. Elena knew she didn't like him because he had used her as a blood bag, but not even Elena knew the full extent of it. Nobody knew the full extent of it; there were only two people in the world who knew what Damon had done to her. Perhaps if he had shown some remorse Caroline might have found it in her heart to forgive him after a few centuries; after all eternity was a long time to hold a grudge.

Damon had never shown remorse; not as much as an ounce of it. He had never apologized, and Caroline knew that he never would. Every time she heard his voice she could smell her own blood lacing her pillow; she could feel him throwing her down to bounce on her bed.

Coming to stand a few paces behind Klaus Caroline felt warmth spreading to her extremities. She had never been a sadistic person, but she had to admit seeing Damon dangling from the ceiling, with his blood spattered over Klaus' grey Henley, brought the beginning strains of catharsis to her chest.

"You started without me," Caroline pouted. She crossed her arms and met his sparkling blue eyes.

"I did not realize you would want to be a part of this," Klaus' brow furrowed. "I was under the impression that he was one of your friends."

"He's not my friend," Caroline spat. Her hands tightened their hold on her upper arms.

"That's true," Damon rasped, "she and I have never gotten along, at least not since her transition." His hands closed around the chains so he could pull himself up. Damon tugged on the chains in an attempt to break them when the wounds Klaus had inflicted healed.

Caroline darted around Klaus and landed a blow to Damon's stomach.

Damon coughed and bent as much as the chains would allow. Caroline had thrown all of her strength into that punch.

"Not that this isn't highly amusing, love," Klaus caught her wrist before she could strike again, "but what exactly has Damon done to deserve your hatred." He could see the fire flickering in her eyes and knew that there was more to it than Damon's earlier treatment of Elena.

"Yeah, blondie," Damon ground out, "what did I ever do to you?" He rolled his shoulders back and glared.

"Are you kidding me right now?" Caroline felt a muscle twitch in her face. "Your memory cannot possibly be that short."

Elijah paused at the foot of the stairs and watched silently as Caroline all but bristled with rage.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Damon grunted when her knee came up between his legs. He breathed through the pain and looked up at her through his lashes. "I've never raised a finger against you Care Bear!"

"Never raised a …" Caroline shrieked. "You raped me! Repeatedly!" She felt the tears sting her eyes.

"He what?"

Caroline flinched away when from the loud roar erupting from Klaus' mouth.

"She was perfectly willing," Damon rasped around the hand now closed around his throat.

"Only because you compelled me you bastard," Caroline crossed her arms.

"You compelled her to sleep with you?" Klaus' voice had dropped to a dangerous octave that sent a shiver down Damon's spine.

"Like you've never compelled a girl into your bed," Damon scoffed.

"As a matter of fact I haven't," Klaus plunged his hand into Damon's stomach. "I don't have to compel women to sleep with me."

Elijah stepped forward and pulled Klaus off before he could rip out any vital organs.

"Elijah," Klaus growled and wrenched his arm free, "I thought you found yourself inclined to a little torture."

"I do," Elijah nodded. He glanced sideways through his eyes at Damon. "However, I did promise Elena that we wouldn't kill him."

"I doubt Elena knew about what he did to her best friend," Klaus jabbed a finger into his older brothers chest leaving behind a dark red stain.

"She asked me not to kill him, Niklaus," Elijah looked down at the blood covered hand. "I would ask you to respect her request."

Caroline's eyes fell to a high table covered in various instruments of torture straight out of the middle ages. She recognized a few from her history text books: pear of anguish, thumb screws, and a heretic's fork. There were many more that she was unfamiliar with along with the standard assortment of knives and swords, and what appeared to be a saw.

Caroline kept one ear on the arguing brothers and ran her fingertips over the cool steel. She hadn't promised Elena anything; she was not obligated by her word. Caroline picked up a large knife with a razor sharp blade.

"Was Elena's only stipulation that he not die?" Caroline circled around the Original's and eyed Damon.

"Yes," Elijah watched her tap the tip of the blade with her finger.

Caroline nodded. "I can work with that," her wrist moved faster than human eyes would have been able to track. However, since everyone in the room was a vampire, they could all see her target, but they were either too surprised to stop her or too bound to get away.

Caroline had never been a sadistic person but Damon's agonized scream was music to her ears and the blood coating his dark jeans a masterpiece. She remembered Stefan telling her something Klaus had once said about even the purest of hearts being drawn to the dark.

Perhaps Klaus was right… there was a certain allure to darkness.

* * *

_Kol paused in the doorway of his home and listened. When he heard no sound indicating life in the mansion he used his supernatural speed to reach the basement. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dark but when they did he could easily make out the neat row of coffins; there were five in total._

_Tiptoeing along the line he lifted each lid marginally until he landed on one that would not budge. He considered the length of wood carefully as he thought of the best approach to remove the casket from the mansion. Perhaps it would be easier to call Bonnie and have her open it here; that thought soon dashed out of his mind when he heard the tell-tale sound of a human heartbeat overhead._

_Kol cursed silently when a hand closed over his shoulder. He glared at Elijah and motioned to the coffin._

_"I thought you could use an extra set of hands," Elijah murmured. He moved to take one end of the heavy mahogany._

_"I'm fully capable of liberating a coffin on my own," Kol quipped as he moved into position. "It just would have been a little awkward."_

_Elijah rolled his eyes and lifted the coffin. In a matter of seconds they had exited the mansion and laid the wooden box on the back steps of the Gilbert house._

_"What kept you?" Bonnie dropped to her knees. Her fingers smoothed over the surface before lifting the lid with ease._


	24. Tuesday December 21, 2010 Part 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there are two chapters left in the plan before Miranda goes home.  
> Then I am thinking about throwing in two more chapters between before checking in with the future. One where the pregnancy is confirmed and the day Miranda is born.  
> If everything goes according to plan this story should be done in 5 more chapters.  
> Also I started working on the Elena/Amara twin story tonight. The first chapter for that might be up within the next few weeks.

1:30 PM

Elena bounced Miranda gently on her hip and reached for the phone on the counter. She and Rebekah had debated back and forth about what to do before deciding they couldn't go just anywhere with Miranda.

That had led them to Elena's house. She'd unlocked the front door with the spare key from under the porch and walked into the living room before turning on her heel and laughing.

"Sorry," she had smiled and set down the infant carrier, "I forgot."

"That I'd never been invited in?" Rebekah settled her hands on her hips and tilted her head.

"Yeah," Elena had nodded. "Come on in Rebekah."

That had been nearly two hours ago. Miranda had slept for the first hour, but now she was wide awake and playing with Elena's hair.

Elena smiled before answering the phone. "Hello?" She moved her head when Miranda tugged.

_"Elena?"_

"Yes," Elena winced when Miranda pulled a little too hard. She turned and whispered: "don't pull mama's hair."

_"Elena?"_

"Yeah," Elena refocused on the phone and allowed Rebekah to pull Miranda from her arms. "What's up Bonnie?"

_"Did you forget about the Calculus test?"_

"What calculus test?" Elena scrunched up her nose and pulled a funny face to make Miranda smile.

_"The one that starts in 15 minutes. The one that's worth 30% of your final grade."_

"That's not until…" Elena trailed off.

_"Today."_

"Shi-oot," Elena ran her fingers through her hair, "I completely forgot."

Rebekah reached into her sweater pocket. "I can watch Miranda. You go take your test." She held the keys out of Miranda's reach and gave them to Elena.

"Are you sure?" Elena dragged her toes over the tile of the kitchen floor. Miranda seemed perfectly content in Rebekah's arms, but Elena was still a tad hesitant. Her friendship with Rebekah was still new, and she didn't know how well Miranda would do if she were to leave her sight.

"I know how to take care of a baby," Rebekah quirked an eyebrow. "I think I can handle her. Right Miranda?" She lifted the little girl over her head and brought her down and kissed her nose. "You want to spend some time with auntie Bex right?"

Miranda grinned when Rebekah kissed her cheek. Her chubby hands closed around Rebekah's shiny blond hair.

"I'm going to take that as a yes," Rebekah turned to Elena and grinned. "Go on. We'll be just fine for an hour."

_Auntie Bex?_ Elena's eyes sparkled with amusement. She supposed if she and Rebekah were to continue in their friendship eventually they might become close enough that Elena's future children might refer to Rebekah that way especially if Klaus had his way and kept her close to the Mikaelson family; that might not be so bad. She wasn't prepared to live with them full time, but she was no longer under the impression they would try to kill her at every turn. She was certain Bonnie and Caroline would be honorary aunts as well.

Elena nodded slowly before accepting the keys and backing out of the kitchen. She would have taken her own car if it hadn't been left at the mansion. Elena hesitated at the door with one foot outside when she heard Miranda starting to fuss. A second later Miranda calmed down.

If she hadn't been so preoccupied with Miranda and with her test that she was now sure she would fail Elena might have better enjoyed driving Rebekah's red BMW convertible. It was a beautiful vehicle. Unfortunately her mind was preoccupied so the car was just a car and not something out of her dreams.

She was racing out of the room after completing her test only to have a hand grab her arm. She stopped up short and turned on her heel to look down at Bonnie. Elena shifted from foot to foot and fidgeted with the car keys in her hand. She trusted Rebekah but she was missing her child; she thought it rather strange that she missed a child that hadn't been born yet and wondered briefly how long she would have to wait before her daughter was born.

"Do you need something Bonnie?" Elena looked towards the parking lot.

"I just wanted to let you know I'll be at the mansion tonight to se…" Bonnie cleared her throat when a group of cheerleaders passed them. "I'll be there tonight to take care of your little… problem…"

"She's not a problem," Elena hissed. Her eyes flashed dangerously.

Bonnie held up her hand defensively. "I didn't mean it that way," she whispered, "I just didn't know how else to phrase that without alerting everyone in earshot to the situation."

"I know," Elena sighed and tucked her hair behind her ear, "I'm sorry Bon. I didn't mean to snap. She'll go home tonight then?"

"Yeah," Bonnie nodded, "I'll come by around 7:15. I'd like to spend as little time around the Mikaelson's as possible."

"When's the spell?" Elena forced herself to focus on Bonnie.

"The eclipse will last from half past five until a little after eleven," Bonnie explained. "The spell can take place anytime during that period. I thought we'd go with 7:30 since my dad's in town and wants to have dinner at 6:00."

"Okay," Elena nodded and chewed on her bottom lip. "I'll see you tonight then."

"Wait," Bonnie called after her, "you're not coming to history?"

"Can't," Elena shouted back, "got a little thing to take care of before tonight."

Elena pushed through the doors and raced across the yard to the red car. Her eyes widened when her boot caught on black ice. Elena threw her arms out and waved them around as she attempted to regain her balance. It was sadly not to be.

She mentally prepared herself for the harsh impact when her back would hit the ice, but it never came. Elena grimaced and peeked through one eye to look at the hands currently setting her back on her feet.

"Are you alright?"

Elena's hands closed into fists as she spun around slowly; she was more mindful of the ice now. The heat in her glare would have melted the ice if she had directed her gaze downwards. Fortunately for the ice her gaze was directed at her ex-boyfriend.

It was probably unwise to slap a vampire, but Elena still did it. Her hand stung and turned red.

"I take it Damon paid you a visit," Stefan grunted. He turned his head back to look at her.

"Damon broke several of my ribs and punctured a lung," Elena's hands reached out and shoved his chest, "because you told him I was staying at the Mikaelson's."

Whether Stefan stumbled back from shock or from her ineffectual fists she didn't know. Actually she did; there was no way she had the physical strength to push him off his feet.

"He what?" Stefan blinked. He didn't want to believe his brother would harm Elena, but it certainly fit with his M.O…. Damon never  _meant_ to hurt anyone, but that didn't stop him from doing it. "Where is Damon now?"

"He's having a little chat with the Original's," Elena turned around and stomped across the frozen ground. She tore open the car door and sped out of the school.

She put the car in park in her driveway and jumped a foot in the air when she saw Stefan on her front porch.

"Stupid vampires," she muttered darkly.

"Sorry," Stefan crossed his arms and blocked her path into the house, "but I do need to know if I still have a brother. He was foolish enough to break into the Original's house; I don't think they'll let that go." Stefan was fairly certain a certain Original would not let Elena's injuries go unpunished; the same Original he could currently smell all over her.

Elena hesitated before nodding slowly. "He was alive when I left." She couldn't say what condition he would be in when she returned. Elena had asked that they not kill him, but she hadn't failed to notice when Elijah did not promise her anything.

"He's still alive," Rebekah poked her head out the front door. "Kol called with an update, and I had to listen to Nik gripping about not being allowed to kill him. Caroline sounded rather disappointed to."

"What are you doing here?" Stefan's eyes darted from Elena on the porch to Rebekah inside Elena's house.

" _She_  is babysitting," Elena stepped around Rebekah and took Miranda, "my daughter."

"Your…" Stefan gaped at the child. He could see the resemblance.

Elena stifled a laugh when she saw Stefan trying to work out the math in his head.

"Yes," Elena nodded, "she is visiting from the future… she hasn't been conceived yet."

"Huh," Stefan took a step forward and held out a hand to the little girl. She was the same one who had been sleeping soundly between Elena and Elijah in the picture. He retreated when Miranda frowned and burrowed her head in Elena's neck.


	25. Tuesday December 21, 2010 Part 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter wound up being nearly twice as long as I originally planned. As a result it was split in two.

5:07 PM

Elena shifted on the floor. She crossed her legs at the ankles and leaned against the club chair in the cheery study.

Miranda was lying flat on her back on top of a soft pink blanket. She had just fallen asleep after twenty minutes of fussing.

Elena had tried going back into the bedroom she had been sleeping in, but it had taken less than a minute for her to know that Miranda would not sleep in their again. She had wandered from room to room, with the blanket over her shoulder, bouncing the crying baby before she had stumbled upon the room she was now occupying.

Bookshelves lined the walls. They stretched from the antique carpet to the ceiling and were covered in leather bound volumes that made the room smell divine. Brown leather sofas and chairs were spaced around the room. A low table had been pushed aside to give Miranda room to roll around if she wanted.

A large desk was situated between two shelves that almost closed it off from the rest of the room, and in front of a large window through which she could see the full moon rising behind the trees; it wouldn't be long before the start of the eclipse.

Miranda had calmed down and fallen asleep almost instantly when Elena carried her inside and laid her out on the pink blanket.

Miranda might have been a lot calmer when she was ready for a nap if she hadn't seen Stefan all but drag Damon from the mansion. The sight of the raven haired vampire had upset her; she had only calmed down when she was surrounded by the books.

Elena looked up through her eyelashes when a dark shadow passed over Miranda and the lower portion of her legs. "Thank you," she murmured.

"For what?" Elijah dropped to sit next to her on the floor. He listened to the shallow breaths of the sleeping infant and met Elena's eyes.

"Not killing him," she shrugged. "I was half expecting to come back and find him dead."

"You asked me not to."

"I asked you not to," Elena tucked her hair behind her ear, "you weren't the only one involved downstairs, and you didn't actually give your word so…"

Elijah blinked and thought back. He realized she was right; it seemed he could not deny her request. Was he imagining the way her eyes flashed with disappointment?

"I see you found my study," Elijah's arm brushed against hers when he sat back.

"Yeah," Elena smiled. "I was trying to put Miranda down for a nap. This was the first room she calmed down in. It's peaceful in here," she glanced around. It would be very easy for her to get lost in a book, or lose track of the hours writing, in this room. She could see Elijah doing the same.

"I do spend a lot of time in here," Elijah admitted. "It's a sanctuary of sorts from my siblings."

"Sometimes you need to get away?" Elena smirked.

"I love them dearly, but yes," he chuckled, "sometimes I need peace and quiet."

"I take it Kol's not allowed in here then?" Elena's eyes sparkled with amusement.

"You would be correct," Elijah nodded. His laughter slowed as he turned to look into her eyes.

His siblings were spread out around the house. Caroline was with Niklaus in his art studio. Miranda was sound asleep on the floor and Bonnie Bennet would not be arriving for another two hours. If there was ever a time to talk to Elena it was now.

"Elena," Elijah adjusted his sleeves, "I think we need to talk," he heard her heart skip a beat.

Elena shifted on her hip so her upper body faced him. With the most serious expression she could muster she looked at him and arched an eyebrow. "Are you breaking up with me?"

"What?" His eyebrows shot up.

Elena pressed her lips together and snickered. "Sorry," she apologized, "you just looked so serious… I couldn't resist."

"May I ask how you came up with that conclusion," Elijah tilted his head.

"It's just what guys say when they want to break up," Elena shrugged, "kind of a cliché."

Elijah made a mental note to catch up on some of the phrases of the twenty-first century. He would hate to upset her at a later date.

"No," Elijah shook his head, "I'm not breaking up with you… just the opposite actually."

"What?" This time it was Elena's turn to look surprised. Her fingers traced the edge of her oversized white sweater.

Elijah reached out and stilled her fingers movement. "I care about you Elena," his thumb grazed her knuckles, "I've rather enjoyed your presence in the mansion. I like seeing you every day, and I would like to see you again after you go back home."

"You like me?" Elena tilted her head to the side. "What happened to never caring for another doppelganger?" She could feel the corners of her mouth threatening to turn up into a grin. She tried to temper it because she had a feeling it would be a very goofy grin.

"I lied," Elijah admitted, "I lied to you that day."

"Has anyone ever told you that you have an amazing poker face?" Elena bit her lip. "I had no idea."

"Sad to say I've grown rather proficient in the art of lying," Elijah frowned, "to my credit that is the only lie I've ever told you."

"You know most people wouldn't believe you," Elena blinked, "especially after admitting you lied to me."

"And you?" Elijah released her hand and gently pushed her hair over her shoulder.

"I'm not most women," Elena felt a corner of her mouth lift. She didn't miss the way his eyes darted to her lips. "I'd like to see you again as well."

Elijah lifted her hand and kissed her palm. "Do you have any plans Thursday night? I assume you'll be with your brother Friday."

"You assume correct. Jeremy and I have standing Christmas Eve plans, but I am free as a bird Thursday." Elena tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. "Where does that expression come from anyway?"

"I believe it was a Beatles song," Elijah chuckled. "Since you are 'free' may I take you for dinner?"

"Yes." Elena nodded. "I would love that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning the next chapter has some *adult* content.


	26. Tuesday December 21, 2010 Part 7

5:46 PM

Elena broke eye contact when she felt Miranda wiggle against her calve. She held her breath and waited to see if she would wake up; she hadn't been asleep a half an hour yet.

Elena breathed a sigh of relief when Miranda rolled onto her belly and remained asleep.

"Perhaps we should move," Elijah suggested, "so we don't wake her up."

Elena nodded before climbing to her feet. She made sure the area around Miranda was clear before moving to stand in front of the window.

Elena could feel Elijah standing less than a foot to her left. She was surprised that she was more aware of the space between them now than she had been when she was sitting beside him on the floor.

Elijah took a small step closer and heard her heart increase its pace. His arm brushed hers as he nodded to the shadow starting to pass over the moon.

"Have you ever seen a lunar eclipse Elena?" His eyes roamed her upturned face as she watched the moon slowly disappear.

"No," she shook her head. A flush spread over her neck under the intensity of his gaze. "I think I was six the last time. My parents put us to bed before they went outside to watch."

"It's a shame you missed it," Elijah peered down into her eyes. They sparkled in the moonlight.

"I actually snuck out of bed to try and watch it," Elena tilted her head and shrugged, "but being six I fell asleep. It's a shame they're so far apart." Elena considered turning back to the window, but she found watching the moonlight dance over his features more appealing.

"I believe there is another one in June," Elijah's fingers ghosted up her arm.

Elena felt a shiver travel her spine when his hand settled on her shoulder. "That's not far away," she breathed. Her feet stepped forward of their own accord. The closer she got to Elijah the less she cared about the eclipse; it's not like it was a once in a lifetime thing.

Elijah's eyes peered into hers searchingly.

Elena inhaled. Her hand slid up to cup his cheek as she arched her neck and brushed her lips over his. Elena's arms wrapped around his neck when he took hold of her waist and pulled her closer.

The world around them all but faded away as the burning desire to be closer overtook them. Elena gasped for breath and wrapped her legs around his waist when he lifted and pinned her to the window.

Elijah nipped along her throat and inhaled. Although it had faded since that morning he could still smell his blood coursing through her veins. That combined with the feeling of her strong legs wrapped around his hips had him groaning softly into her mouth.

Elena shivered when his hands slipped under the hem of her sweater and the window cooled her heated skin. She lifted her arms when his hands settled over her rib cage.

Elijah hesitated. He looked into her bright eyes and waited until she nodded before pulling the white sweater over her head.

Elena gasped and arched her back when his hand trailed down her spine. Her fingers made quick work of the buttons on his light blue shirt. She was pushing the sleeves down his arms when he spun her at vampire speed and set her on the edge of his desk.

Her tongue explored his mouth eliciting a groan. She tightened her thighs around his waist and pulled him as close as possible while running her hand through his hair.

Elijah's hands slid down her sides before he slowly guided her back to lie on the smooth wood. Hovering, he took a second to drink in the sight of her; her hair seemed to blend into the dark wood of the desktop. He moved down to capture her lips again, but paused when her hand settled on his chest.

Elena's head lifted and turned in the direction of the furniture where Miranda had kicked herself back over onto her back. She could just make out the pink blanket around the corner of the bookshelf.

Elijah followed her gaze. It took him a second to drown out the sound of Elena's pounding heart so he could listen to the shallow breaths.

"She's still asleep," he whispered.

"Good… she needs her rest." Elena arched her neck. Her eyes drifted shut when his tongue dipped into the hollow of her throat.

"Better stay quiet then," Elijah left open mouthed kisses along the tops of her breasts, "wouldn't want to wake her up."

"Yeah," Elena murmured. Her back lifted from the desk when his hand snaked around to unclasp her blue bra. She bit back a moan and carded her fingers through his hair as he licked and nipped his way down her stomach.

* * *

_"Are you sure this is going to work?" Elena rubbed her arms furiously. She couldn't get warm. She couldn't shake the feeling that they were fighting a lost cause and that she would never hold her baby girl again._

_Freya looked up from where she had finished binding the ingredients together. "I'm sure," she pointed to the four objects she had bound the spell to. "If we bury these at each point of the compass it will create a field that will render her mortal."_

_"What's wrong with just placing them?" Elijah wrapped his arms around Elena's waist. She immediately sank back into his chest._

_"She would see them."_

_Freya nodded her agreement while simultaneously glaring at her mother. She had been mildly surprised when Esther chose to help them so quickly._

_"How do you propose to get her into the field then?" Kol passed the enchanted objects to Klaus, Rebekah, and Caroline. He kept one in his hand and moved to the northern end of the field in which they stood._

_"By dangling something she can't resist."_


	27. Tuesday December 21, 2010 Part 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are getting to the home stretch everybody. Woohoo. Dealing with the Hybrids is getting close to the end as well. I'm thinking that one will probably be between 5-10 more chapters including some flashbacks to the events between the Lol wedding and the abduction.

7:15 PM

In the end they didn't have to be quiet. Miranda was so tired she slept for a solid two hours.

Elijah's hands slid up her sides before looping around her back and pulling her to his chest. She hummed contentedly as he left open mouthed kisses across her cheek to her lips.

Elena was trading slow, lazy, kisses with Elijah when Miranda finally stirred. Reluctantly she let her legs drop from his waist and allowed him to step back away from the edge of the desk. She shivered when the cool air hit her skin.

"Thank you," she smiled when he passed her the oversized white sweater. She tugged the sweater over her head and hopped down. She ran her hands around her neck and pulled her hair out from under the collar where it had gotten stuck. She was going to locate her underwear and leggings when Miranda's soft babbling turned to crying.

Elena rounded the corner and stepped around the furniture to bend over and pick up Miranda. Her hands settled under Miranda's arms, she was straightening up when she sensed eyes on her.

She rubbed circles on the baby's back and glanced over her shoulder to mock glare at Elijah.

"It's rude to stare you know?" Elena spun on her heel and felt the soft wool brush against the middle of her thighs. Her eyes flickered to his half open shirt when he stepped closer.

"I must apologize," he bent and kissed her cheek, "but it was a very nice view." His smirk turned to a soft smile when Miranda took advantage of his closeness and squirmed around to wrap her tiny arms around his neck. Elijah took Miranda and passed Elena her leggings.

"And now you're stealing the baby again," Elena pulled on her pants and snickered when he attempted to button his shirt with one hand. Miranda was making the action difficult by tugging on his collar.

"I told you," he gave up buttoning his shirt and tickled Miranda's toes, "she's difficult to resist."

Elena shook her head and laughed. She tugged her hair into a messy bun and turned her eyes to the door. She blushed when Kol poked his head inside.

"The Bennet witch is here," his eyes darted between Elena and his brother taking in their messy appearance. "She's ready to cast the spell."

Elena nodded and took Miranda back so Elijah could finish buttoning his shirt. She caught his sleeve before he could leave the study. "Wait," she shifted Miranda and reached up to straighten out his hair.

They crossed the length of the mansion and descended the stairs to find Bonnie waiting by the door. She was tapping her foot impatiently and angling herself as far away from Klaus and Kol as possible.

"Hey Bon," Elena padded across the marble foyer. "Why are we all standing by the door?" She looked around to find everyone, and she did mean everyone, standing in warm coats and boots. Elena looked down when Caroline placed her own boots on the floor.

"The spell needs to be done outside under the eclipse." Bonnie explained as Rebekah took the baby and wrapped her up in a warm blanket.

"Of course it does," Elena sighed. She took her jacket from Kol and hurriedly shoved her arms into the sleeves before reaching out for the baby again. She followed outside and held Miranda tighter when the cold night air hit her; it was close to the freezing point.

"Someone is going to be there on the other side right?" Elena tightened her hold and kissed Miranda's head. She didn't know when Miranda would be returning to, but if it was December her little body would freeze very quickly.

"There should be," Bonnie moved a couple dozen feet from the mansion. She arranged the candles she had brought in a circle and laid out a shallow metal bowl filled with ground herbs. She raised her eyes and looked over the assembly of vampires. "I count five vampires, and a witch. If you are not there Elena I'm fairly certain one of us will be."

"Why wouldn't I be here?" Elena paled at the thought.

"I-I," Bonnie stammered.

"You'll be here, Elena," Elijah laid a hand on her back. "Miranda was likely sent here by accident. There is little doubt in my mind that you are not wearing a hole in the mansion floor in the future while watching the garden."

Elena glanced up at him through her lashes. She bit her lip and nodded.

"Is it just me, love, or are you reluctant to let her go?" Klaus crossed his arms and cocked an eyebrow.

Elena blinked back a few tears and looked down into the little girl's dark eyes. "I'm going to miss her," she admitted. How long would it be until she held this little girl again? It might be a few years. It might be a decade.

"You'll see her again soon, Elena," Rebekah reassured her. She reached out and tapped Miranda's nose making the child giggle.

"Doesn't make letting her go any easier," Elena sighed. "I've only had her four days, but I already love her." She smiled sadly and kissed Miranda's hair again.

"If you're ready Elena," Bonnie lit the candles with a wave of her hand, "we should probably do this."

"Before I decide to actually make a break for it," Elena chuckled.

"I don't think you'd get very far," Kol quipped. "I count five vampires in this garden."

"I don't know," Elena smirked, "I think Caroline would probably help."

"Could be fun," Caroline placed her hand on Miranda's back and bent to kiss her cheek, "but we should probably send her home so she can be conceived at some point."

"Alright," Elena pouted. She looked down at Miranda: "it's time to go home little miss."

"Ma-ma," she grabbed a fistful of Elena's sweater.

Elena adjusted a strand of hair that had fallen from her rushed up-do. She met Bonnie's eyes. "How does this work?" Her gaze darted to the assembly Bonnie had prepared.

"Basically you put in her in the center of the circle, I chant a few words and she goes back home…" Bonnie's eyes darted to the shallow bowl of herbs.

"There's something else isn't there?" Elena frowned.

"Yeah," Bonnie nodded and reached into the bag at her side. She pulled out a knife.

Elena felt her eyes widen when she saw the metal glitter menacingly in the dim light. "I'm not going to like this am I?"

"I just need a little of your blood," Bonnie shrugged apologetically. "It will make sure she goes back to the right time."

Elena balanced Miranda with her right arm and offered Bonnie her left hand. "I just wished you'd chosen a smaller knife," she winced when the blade pressed lightly into the fleshy part of her palm at the base of her thumb.

"Sorry," Bonnie grimaced in sympathy. She tilted Elena's hand and caught the blood in the bowl of herbs. Bonnie lifted her eyes and gasped. "Oh my…"

"What?" Elena titled her head.

Elena frowned when she saw Rebekah's face break out in a broad grin. Klaus and Kol appeared to be flabbergasted. Caroline was staring at Elena with unconcealed shock.

Elena glanced over her shoulder to find Elijah just as confused as she was. She thought for a second that there was something on her; maybe Elijah had left a mark on her neck. That thought left her mind when she realized that nobody was staring at her; they were all looking at Miranda. Elena followed their eyes and inhaled sharply.

Miranda had turned her face towards Elena's injured palm. Her beautiful brown eyes had darkened slightly; they appeared to be almost black with an almost red rim. Elena blinked rapidly; her gaze traced the thin spider web like veins writhing under Miranda's eyes.

"I-I um…" Kol stepped forward and bent to peer into Miranda's face, "I've still got that spell. I'm certain Bon-Bon over here could alter it to find out who her dad is."

"Why are we discussing this now?" Elijah narrowed his eyes at his youngest brother. He had yet to see the child's face.

Kol glanced up at him before pulling Miranda from Elena's arms and turning her to face Elijah. His shoulders shook as he smirked. "I'm a little behind on the slang of this century, what with being in a box for 98 years," he glanced over his shoulder at Nik, "but I believe the term is OMG."

While Kol was talking Rebekah flashed inside and grabbed the paper he had written the spell on four days ago. She brought it outside and passed it to Bonnie.

Bonnie studied the paper and nodded when Rebekah supplied her with the correct Latin words in the right places. "I can do it if you want to know, Elena. The spell is simple enough."

Elena was still staring at the shifting veins under her daughter's eyes.  _How?_ The single word question repeated like a mantra in her mind. She thought of the grip Miranda would take on her hair or her finger.

"She seems to be in a bit of shock," Klaus cleared his throat, "but I am exceptionally curious. Do the spell Miss Bennet."

"Gee…" Bonnie rolled her eyes and took Miranda from Kol, "… I wonder why." She closed her eyes to concentrate and started murmuring in Latin. Bonnie stopped when Miranda giggled; the magic had settled on her left arm writing out the name of her father.

Bonnie rolled up her sleeve, thankfully the onesie had loose ones, and read the name in her head.

"Well," Rebekah stepped out of the way so her brother and Elena could read the name, "that certainly explains a lot."

_Elijah Mikaelson_

_September 14, 977_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Esther was pregnant in winter when Dahlia came for Freya in the Originals. I thought it might be March so I put Elijah's birthday in September. This chapter kind of got away from me. A lot like the last one did, so it's been split in two. The first part here which leads up to the reveal and the next one which deals with the fallout after Miranda goes home.


	28. Tuesday December 21, 2010 Part 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay. I caught some bug from work; it's on its way out though.  
> This chapter kind of got away from me, but I'm happy with it.  
> After this there are two more chapters that I need to write along with the final chapter that takes place in the future after Miranda goes back home.

8:30 PM

Elena and Elijah had spent several minutes staring at the name on Miranda's arm in a stunned silence. They might have gone on like that all night if Bonnie hadn't insisted that she needed to get on with the spell.

Reluctantly Elijah had relinquished his hold on Miranda's hand and allowed Bonnie to lower her into the center of the circle. He had pressed a handkerchief into Elena's palm and watched as Miranda's eyes returned to normal before she had disappeared in a ball of light.

That had been nearly twenty minutes ago. They had since moved inside to the large sitting room.

Elijah was still reeling when he set on a couch beside Elena.

"How the bloody 'ell did that happen?" Klaus all but roared, making Elena jump in surprise. He had kept quiet until after Miranda was sent back, but now Klaus pointed an accusing finger at Elena.

"Do you really need us to explain where babies come from?" Elijah couldn't stop the sharp retort. "At this age, Niklaus, you should know that."

Klaus glared at his brother. "That is not what I meant and you know it," he muttered.

"I don't know," Elijah glanced at Elena from the corner of his eye.

Elena gaped. Vampires couldn't have children. Wasn't that what Damon had once said? Judging by the shell-shocked expressions on the Originals' faces Damon had not been misinformed. Every single member of the Mikaelson family seemed to be confused… well… almost all of them.

Rebekah smirked. Her smug smile was reminiscent of the cat that ate the canary. Her eyes darted between her brother and Elena.

Elena surprised everyone when she called Rebekah out on it. "Rebekah, do you know something?"

Rebekah's smirk fell slightly under the sudden stares of Caroline, Elena, Bonnie and her brothers. She bit her lip and shrugged. "I may have heard a rumor in February of 1639 about a vampire conceiving a child during the winter solstice."

Klaus' hands clenched into fists as a muscle in his jaw ticked. "You waited until now to tell us?" His voice had slowly risen in volume.

Elena's eyes narrowed slightly upon Rebekah's admission. Had she really dismissed it as a rumor? Elena's doe eyes glazed over as a scene from earlier in the day replayed in her mind.

_"I know how to take care of a baby," Rebekah quirked an eyebrow. "I think I can handle her. Right Miranda?" She lifted the little girl over her head and brought her down and kissed her nose. "You want to spend some time with auntie Bex right?"_

_Miranda grinned when Rebekah kissed her cheek. Her chubby hands closed around Rebekah's shiny blond hair._

_"I'm going to take that as a yes," Rebekah turned to Elena and grinned. "Go on. We'll be just fine for an hour."_

She had dismissed it earlier. After all friends were often called aunts and uncles if they were close enough to the parents, but now Elena wasn't so sure.

She thought about how comfortable Miranda had been with each of the Originals. She'd loved Rebekah despite the knife throwing incident. She enjoyed playing with Kol. Miranda had even started to warm up to Klaus; Elena suspected the only reason she had been weary of the hybrid was because he had scared her that first morning.

Elena's watched Elijah through the corner of her eye. Elijah had said Miranda's eyes were slightly darker than hers. Turning her head to the left Elena saw his dark eyes were locked on his sister who was saying something.

Elena mentally kicked herself for not noticing it before: Elijah and Miranda had the same dark brown eyes.

She shook herself from her thoughts as the full impact of Rebekah's words reached her mind.

"Back up a minute," the blood drained from Elena's face. "Did you say during the eclipse?"

Elijah seemed to follow her train of thought instantly. His eyes widened as he turned to take in her pale expression. Would they be greeting the child again soon?

"Yes," Rebekah nodded. Her eyes dropped to the silver watch around her wrist. "I'd say you've got about two hours left."

"I wouldn't worry about that sister," Kol leaned against a bookshelf. "That's already been taken care of."

Under normal circumstances Elena might have been mortified to have her sex life revealed in front of other people, but she was too focused to care. Truth be told, she was too focused on her own thoughts that she had not heard Kol's comment, nor did she hear Elijah's low warning growl. In fact she was completely unaware of the scene unfolding around her as she climbed to her feet.

"I…I n-need so-some air." She stumbled on shaking legs into the garden. Her palm covered the flat expanse of her stomach where, if Rebekah was right, her daughter was rapidly forming.

Elena glanced down to see a dark jacket being placed around her shivering shoulders. She didn't have to look to know it was Elijah that had followed her.

"Did we…" Elena's eyes found the dark circle where Bonnie had cast the spell.

"It's a little too soon to tell," Elijah replied, "but if Rebekah is right than… yes." He glanced at her sideways and frowned. "Do you not want to be pregnant?" 'With my child' went unspoken.

Elena spun on her heel. She tilted her head back to meet his eyes and glared. "I'm not overly thrilled about the prospect of being pregnant in high school," she poked his chest, "but don't think for a second that I don't want that little girl."

"Good," he caught her hand, "because so do I."

"Really?" Elena bit her lip and searched his eyes.

"Really," he nodded. Elijah released her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear before cupping her face. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and wrapped his free arm around her waist.

Elena's eyes drifted shut. Her hand fell back to her flat stomach. "How sure are we that Rebekah's right? When's this," she gestured upwards to the eclipse, "supposed to happen again?"

"2094," Kol called from the door. "That date is rather unlikely since Miranda was…is… will be…" He frowned and tried to sort through the proper tenses in his head. How did he refer to a child he had known that hadn't been born yet?

"Get to the point Kol," Elena stepped around Elijah to glare at his brother.

"She was clearly part human. If she wasn't I'm sure we would have noticed sooner since she would have needed blood to survive and she didn't," Kol smirked. "How soon until we know for sure?" His eyes dropped to her stomach.

"The strongest tests are effective after 10 days," Caroline tucked a curl behind her ear. She tilted her head when she found nearly everyone had turned to stare at her. "What?"

"How exactly do you know that Caroline?" Klaus crossed his arms and leaned against the open door across from Kol.

"Everybody knows that," Bonnie cut in. "It's one of the many things taught in sexual education; a mandatory class for all high school students."

"What else is taught in this class?" Kol wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Elena shook her head before bending. Before Elijah could ask what she was doing she had lobbed a handful of snow at Kol's head.

The snow exploded upon impact. Thousands of miniscule ice crystals sprayed across his face.

Kol's head whipped around to glare at Elena. His frown morphed into a wicked smirk. He carefully stepped down into the garden. "You are going to pay for that, darling." Kol moved at vampire speed to throw a handful of snow at Elena.

"Don't call me darling," Elena jumped back out of the way. She suspected the only real reason Kol missed was because Elijah had stepped in the way of the flying ice.

"Kol," Rebekah chastised, "don't throw snow at Elena. For heaven's sake she's pregnant!" Rebekah shoved some snow down his collar.

"I'm pretty sure it doesn't work that fast," Klaus watched from the door with Caroline.

"There is a very good chance however," Caroline flashed around to the other side of the garden, "but even so a little snow ball fight never hurt anyone."

Elena shrieked when she felt the cold run down the back of her neck. She spun around and glared at Caroline before bending to pick up more snow. "That's cheating," she cried when Caroline used her vampire speed to get out of Elena's line of fire.

"All's fair in love and war, Elena," Caroline giggled from the porch steps. She gasped when she felt strong arms encircle her waist. The next thing she knew she was lying in the soft snow. "Klaus," she mock glared when she found him hovering over her.

"Caroline," he smirked and cocked an eyebrow.

Elena took advantage of her sudden immobility and threw her snowball; it collided with Caroline's shoulder. The crystals sprayed upwards to hit them both in the face. She backed away instantly and took cover behind Elijah.

She caught sight of Bonnie snickering in the open door; she held up her hand and stopped a snowball from colliding with her arm. It swung back through the air.

Elena gasped when she found herself pressed against the side of the house. She inclined her head to see a full blown fight underway in the garden. Kol and Rebekah had teamed up on Klaus. Caroline had found herself on Klaus' side when one of Kol's snowballs hit her in the face.

"You've started a war."

Elena tilted her head back to look into Elijah's eyes. She might have though him angry if not for the amused twinkle in his eyes.

"If you let go of me I'll finish it," she smirked.

"A battlefield is no place for an expectant mother," his hands splayed across her sides.

Elena was going to say that: 'they weren't sure she was pregnant yet', but the words died on her tongue when his mouth descended on hers. Her frozen fingers tangled in his dark hair. Her mouth opened to admit his tongue when it swiped across her lower lip.

Elijah lifted her by her waist and stepped forward to pin her to the wall. He had other plans that did not involve a snowball fight with his siblings.

* * *

_Elena tilted her head back to watch the full moon as it finished its ascent into the night sky. Miranda would be sent back to them in a matter of moments. Bonnie's spell would return her child to the present in the same place she had left the past._

_Elena's eyes landed on Bonnie where she was busy casting a spell to ensure that Dahlia would be unable to see them from the mansion windows; the mansion that was less than twenty feet to the left of them. Realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Her eyes lighted on the ground as a glowing ball of light appeared in front of her toes._

_"No," she hissed and broke from Elijah to crouch on the ground. Her hands reached out as the light faded away and closed around the tiny body of Miranda. "No," Elena shook her head and pulled her daughter to her chest._

_Her protests came too late. Over her shoulder she heard the double doors of the mansion crash against the walls with a resounding bang._


	29. Friday, December 31, 2010

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter got a lot longer than I meant for it to. Oh well. There is some smut towards the bottom of the chapter. You have been forewarned, so if you don't like don't read.

11:47 PM

Elena stifled a yawn and smoothed down the sparkling material of her full skirt; the black sleeveless bodice gave way to a silver skirt that cut off at the knees. She shifted from foot to foot in her three inch heels.

She fingered the clasp of her clutch and closed her eyes to try and drown out the pounding bass. If only her ears worked in the same manner as her eyes: able to open and close at will. She could feel the beat drumming through her petite frame; it left behind an ache in her mind.

Elena jerked when she felt a hand close over her elbow.

"Care to dance, darling?"

"Don't call me darling," Elena murmured. The music drowned out her voice but she knew Kol had heard her. The amused glint in his eyes told her as much. "What do you want Kol?" She blinked in surprise when he pulled her into the library and shut the door. Elena sighed in relief when the music faded enough for her to easily hear him.

"Are you alright, Elena?" He crossed his arms and leaned against the closed door.

"I'm fine, Kol, just tired." She shifted to perch on the arm of a leather couch. "A New Year's party wasn't exactly what I had in mind for the evening."

"Then why'd you come?" Kol tilted his head.

"When Rebekah asked me over I was expecting a smaller gathering," she ran a hand through her hair, "not the entire senior class. If I wanted to dance to techno I'd have gone to a club." The only reason she was dressed for a party was because she had come straight from a Founder's event.

"You seem a little stressed," Kol noted her wide unseeing eyes. "Are you sure everything is all right?"

Elena blinked and tapped her clutch against her thigh. She had stashed the test there after picking it up at a drugstore that afternoon. Her fingers drummed over the silver material.

"I'm not stressed," Elena sighed, "just a little distracted… it's day 10."

Kol's eyes lit up. He glanced at her stomach. "Have you…?"

"Not yet," she folded her arms over her flat stomach, "I thought it could wait until tomorrow…" Her foot jiggled.

"And what do you think now?" Kol flashed across the room and stilled her ankle with his hand.

"Now…" she nibbled on her ear and eyed her clutch; she could know in a matter of minutes. Elena stood up and circled around Kol to the door. "I'll be upstairs." She paused and looked back over her shoulder. "Could you maybe…?"

"I'll find him and send him up," Kol nodded and pulled the door open for her.

"Thanks."

Elena slipped out of the library and started working her way through the crowd. She waved to Caroline; the blond stood with her hands on her hips facing Klaus. Elena could just make out the slight smirk on Caroline's lips.

Elena twisted sideways to squeeze through a few dancing girls. She held her clutch tighter when they brushed up against her body. She breathed a sigh of relief when she reached the stairs and grasped the railing. Elena was just about to start upwards when she felt a cold liquid splash over her back.

She gasped and spun around to glare at the culprit. She eyed the red cup in Jasper's hand. "Please tell me that was water," she shivered.

"Sorry Elena," Jasper smiled meekly, "somebody bumped into me."

The fact that he hadn't answered her question did not escape Elena's notice. She twisted her neck to look over her shoulder. The overwhelming smell of the alcohol made her head spin.

She waved off Jasper's further apologies and turned to storm up the stairs. She pushed open the door to the bedroom that had been hers during her short stay at the mansion; Elena removed the test from her purse and tossed the bag on the bed.

A few minutes later she emerged from the ensuite and smiled when she saw a rogue pair of pajamas that she had forgotten when she left. She set the timer on her phone and attempted to reach the zipper on her back.

"Why Miss Gilbert have you been drinking?"

Elena glanced through the corner of her eye to see Elijah leaning against the doorframe. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and let her lips quirk into a tiny smirk.

"I can't believe you would accuse an expectant mother of drinking," she gasped dramatically with her hand over her heart.

Elijah flashed across the room and flattened his hand on her stomach. "Is that a yes then?" He met her flashing eyes.

"I've no idea," Elena sighed. She tilted her head in the direction of the bathroom. "I took the test, but it takes a few minutes, I left it on the bathroom counter."

"How long?" He followed her gaze to the ensuite.

"Five minutes," she ran her fingers through her hair and cringed when she felt some moisture at the base of her skull. "Can you help me with my zipper?"

"Of course."

Elena was about to turn around and expose her back when she felt his hand run up her spine. She shivered and bit her lip. Elena was reminded of the last time he had unzipped her dress in this position; it had been a few days before after their second official date.

Of course they had been at her house that night.

Elena stepped out of the dress and reached for the oversized pajama t-shirt and pulled it over her head. She dropped onto the edge of the queen-sized bed and reached for her phone when Elijah sat beside her.

"Three and a half minutes," Elena murmured. Her eyes were glued to the clock as it slowly counted down.

"Elena," Elijah lifted her chin with his knuckle, "you're going to drive yourself insane."

"I can't help it," she lifted the phone so she could see the timer: 3:09.

Elijah gently took the mobile from her hand and laid it face down on the night stand. He leaned forward and caught her shoulders before she could reach for the device.

"I need to know the time," she insisted.

"The timer will go off," Elijah cupped her cheek. "Why don't you try thinking about something else?"

"Did you have a topic in mind?" Elena breathed. Her eyes darted from his eyes to his mouth and to the phone before repeating the process.

"Nothing for discussion," he smirked before brushing his lips over hers.

Elena's left arm wrapped around his back. Her right hand cradled the back of his neck and pulled him closer. She nipped at his lip and sucked his tongue into her mouth. Elena broke away for air and tilted her head to give him better access to her throat all the while thinking this was a very pleasant distraction.

She had completely lost track of time when raised voices drifted through the slightly open door and brought her back to the present. The timer on her phone was blaring in time to the New Year's countdown.

"18… 17… 16… 15… 14… 13… 12… 11…"

Elena stopped the timer and stood up.

"10… 9… 8… 7… 6…"

She felt Elijah's hand settle on her hip when she stood in front of the bathroom counter. Her fingers closed around the thin stick. She met his eyes in the mirror before turning the test over.

"5… 4… 3… 2…"

"It's positive," Elena laughed when Elijah spun her around and lifted her to sit on the counter.

"1…" A resounding cheer echoed up the stairs. The shouting fell on deaf ears in the guestroom.

"It's positive?" Elijah took the stick from her hand and read the tiny screen.

Elena nodded. She felt tears well in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Elijah wiped away a few tears with his thumb.

"Nothing," she laughed. Elena tucked her hair behind her ears and smiled. "I'm going to see her again soon," she blinked back a few fresh tears and flattened her palm over her abdomen. Her eyes widened and her shoulders shook. "I'm going to be a mother," she gasped.

"Elena," Elijah wrapped his arms around her back and laid her head on his shoulder. He rubbed soothing circles between her trembling shoulders.

"I'm responsible for another life…" she leaned back and stared at her flat stomach. "What if I mess up?"

"You are not going to mess this up Elena," Elijah lifted her chin and met her watery eyes. "Try to remember that you've already held her. We know she's going to be alright."

Elena sniffled and pressed her lips together. She nodded quickly and wiped away the last of her tears. "I know," she laughed softly, "maybe the hormones are kicking in early."

"You're also very tired right now," he smiled and kissed her forehead.

"And I do get 'weepy' when I'm tired," Elena huffed. She lifted her hand to his neck and ran her thumb along his jaw. "Far warning that's probably not the last time I'll cry this year."

"Thank you for the warning," he chuckled and reached into his jacket pocket. "Luckily for you I always carry a handkerchief."

"I'm a lucky, lucky girl," she snickered and used the white linen to dry her cheeks. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," his hands settled on her hips. He smirked before dropping to his knees in between her thighs.

"Elijah?" Elena swallowed. Her abdomen quivered when he knelt on the cool tile floor. "What are you doing?"

"Listening," he grinned and pressed his ear to her stomach.

"It might be a few weeks before you can hear a heartbeat," Elena ran her fingers through his short hair and coaxed him to look up at her.

"Even so," he kissed her naval, "I'll still listen."

Elena shook her head fondly and sighed; this was going to be an interesting nine months. She shivered when his fingertips ghosted up her calves. She bit her lip, allowed him to pull her towards the edge of the counter, and separated her knees when his fingers dipped under the hem of her t-shirt.

"Are we interrupting?"

Elena felt her heart jump when she heard the voice. She turned her head and glared through narrow eyes as Kol and Rebekah stepped into the ensuite.

"Kind of," she bit out. Elena blushed when she realized how much of her thighs were exposed; she tried to tug down the thin cotton shirt. The task was made easier when Elijah stood up and she was able to close her legs.

"We were just curious," Rebekah tried to stifle her grin, "about the results. We couldn't hear over the raucous shouting."

"So you decided to barge into the bathroom?" Elena's fingers curled around the hem of her shirt.

"Seemed the fastest way to get a result," Kol shrugged.

"Should I be expecting Klaus too," Elena arched an eyebrow.

"Nah," Kol shrugged. "The last I saw Nik he was busy flirting with Caroline. They'll be occupied for a while."

Elena tilted her head and closed her eyes. "I did not need to know that," she whispered. Although she supposed it made sense; Caroline and Klaus had spent a fair bit of time together over the past two weeks.

"So," Rebekah looked at them expectantly. "What's the verdict? Am I going to be an aunt? Was I right about the solstice? Should I be scheduling plans for 2094?" She explained when she saw the confusion in Elena's eyes. "The next time there is an eclipse on the winter solstice."

"You looked it up?" Elena blinked.

"You're getting off topic," Rebekah crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Am I going to be an aunt or what?"

"Yes," Elijah placed a hand on Elena's stomach, "sister. You are going to be an aunt."

A second later he felt Elena being pulled from the counter into Rebekah's arms.

"Rebekah," Elena gasped and tapped her back, "I can't breathe." She drew in a deep breath when she was released and stepped back to stand in front of Elijah.

"Sorry," Rebekah smiled sheepishly, "I'm just so excited."

"Why do I get the feeling you're going to be insanely involved in this pregnancy?"

"Probably because she will be," Kol snickered. He took Rebekah's shoulder and turned her around to leave the room. "We're going to go now… wouldn't want to keep you from anything," he winked and ducked when Elena threw a bar of soap at him.

She turned to Elijah when they were gone and tilted her head to the side. "Your siblings don't understand the concept of boundaries do they?"

"I'm afraid not," he shook his head and took hold of her hips.

"They tend to barge in a lot," she ran her fingers up his arms to rest on his shoulders.

"That they do," he nodded and tugged her closer. "I believe we were in the middle of something."

"More like at the start," Elena smirked.

He walked her backwards until her shoulders bumped into the door frame. "You are correct," he sank to his knees. "I believe we left off right around here," his hands dipped under the shirt to pull down her panties.

"Somewhere around here," Elena breathed. She bit back a moan when he lifted her left leg over his shoulder and kissed her thigh.

Elijah's tongue darted out to taste her. Her head fell back against the wooden frame with a hollow thud. She threaded her fingers through his hair and moaned softly when his mouth closed over her clit and sucked. He spent a few seconds paying attention to that little bundle of nerves before circling the area and dropping to thrust his tongue inside of her. She wasn't sure how long they spent in the threshold; time became endless as he held her on the precipice.

"Elijah," she moaned and pulled him closer, "don't tease me." Her thighs trembled. Elena cried out when he slipped his index finger inside to massage her g-spot while flicking her clit with his tongue. Her knees buckled when the orgasm subsided.

Elijah caught her before she could slide to the floor and carried her over to the bed. He groaned when she nipped along his jaw and pushed his jacket down his arms.

"Will you be staying the night?" Elijah breathed against her lips.

Elena finished unbuttoning his shirt and slipped her hands inside to explore the tight muscles of his abdomen. She grinned when she felt his stomach quiver beneath her fingertips. "I have no intention of leaving anytime soon," she rolled over and straddled his hips.

"Well," he fingered the hem of her shirt and slowly lifted the material up and over her head, "I have no intention of letting you go anytime soon either."

Elena shivered when he unclasped her strapless bra and tossed it aside. Moisture seeped between her thighs when his hands splayed across her lower back. She pushed him to lay back and started to lick and nip his neck.

Elena heard him groan when she bit the sensitive area below his ear and sucked the skin into her mouth. She smirked when she leaned back and saw the hickey she had left behind; her smile turned to a small frown when the mark quickly faded away.

"That's just not fair," she murmured and repeated the action before working her way down his stomach.

"What's not fair?" Elijah toed off his shoes when she unfastened his belt. He pulled her back up and rolled to hover over her on the bed when his pants were off.

She pouted and ran her fingers around his throat. "I worked so hard on that mark and it's already gone," she drew her bottom lip between her teeth when he bit her neck with blunt teeth and soothed the area with his tongue. "That's going to leave a mark," Elena moaned.

"Mmhmm," he hummed against her throat, "just one of the many ways to let people know you're mine."

"Shame I can't return that favor," her nails raked through his hair and pulled him back to her lips.

"If it helps I'm going to smell like you for hours."

"That does help a bit," Elena laughed. Any further talking was put on hold in favor of more physical activities.


	30. Thursday, June 9, 2011

12:27 PM

Elijah resisted the urge to rip out the nurse's throat. It was a chore in and of itself. 'Jackie' was being exceptionally difficult and refusing to give him the information he needed. Thanks to the town council's efforts vervain had been entered into the main water supply so he couldn't even compel her.

"For the last time," Jackie heaved an exasperated sigh, "I can only relinquish a patient's information to hospital staff and family."

His grip tightened on the underside of the nurse's station. He mentally cursed when he left tiny dents in the wood.

He took a deep breath and tried again. "Please," he flashed Jackie his most charming smile, "tell me where I can find Elena Gilbert."

"Unless you're family…"

"She's carrying my child," he interrupted. "Does that not give me the right to know where she is?"

Jackie's blue eyes swivelled to the computer screen where 'Elena Gilbert's' patient file had been pulled up. She was indeed pregnant. Jackie sighed before clicking her pen and writing down a room number on sheet of paper.

"South wing, room 2314," Jackie blinked when he took the paper from her hand and seemed to disappear. "You're welcome," she muttered under her breath.

Elijah slowed and ran at a human pace when he reached her corridor. He pushed open the door to the room and saw her struggling to sit up amongst the plethora of wires protruding from body.

"What happened?" He flashed to her side when he saw the room empty save for Rebekah.

"Nothing," Elena sighed and adjusted the IV. "I'm fine."

"You fainted at school Elena," Elijah ran his eyes over her petite frame; "you're not fine."

"I just got a little dizzy," Elena caught his hand when he smoothed back her hair. "I woke up here a few minutes ago and I feel fine."

"What kept you?" Rebekah held the rails of the bed and leaned over to inspect Elena's eyes.

"The staff is on vervain," Elijah cast Rebekah a dark look from the corner of his eye, "and you were not answering your phone."

"I had to turn it off," Rebekah shrugged. "It was interfering with the machines." She turned to Elena. "You were out for over an hour."

"Well," she sat back against the pillows, "I feel fine now, and as long as Miranda is okay I'd like to go home." Elena eyed a few of the machines.

"I'd rather you wait," Elijah straightened some of the wires attached to her bump, "until the doctor tells us why you fainted."

"Healthy women don't faint," Rebekah crossed her arms.

"I was probably just dehydrated," Elena insisted. She lifted the arm with the IV. "They've administered fluids and now I feel fine… should that be red?" Elena paled when she really looked at the tube in her arm.

"That's not IV fluids, Elena," Dr. Green stepped through the door, "it's a blood transfusion. Your red blood count was low. You feel fine now because you've had the transfusion."

"Her blood count was low?" Elijah took her hand and eyed the nearly empty bag of blood. "Why was her blood count low?"

"Yes," Dr. Green nodded, "we ran a few tests to find out why. Elena is anemic."

"No," Elena shook her head, "I'm not. I've never been anemic."

"Sometimes it's a condition that can develop in pregnancy," Dr. Green smiled softly. "It's very manageable now that you know about it." She passed over a prescription. "This is for an iron supplement… you can take it with your pre-natal vitamins."

"She's okay then?" Elena ran her hand over her stomach.

"Your daughter is just fine," Dr. Green nodded. "I took an ultrasound when you arrived. She's at the perfect weight, and has a strong heartbeat… I was actually a little surprised to find your baby in such good health."

Elijah read the prescription and passed Elena the sheet of paper with diet information on it. The doctor's surprise did not go unnoticed by him.

He remembered seeing Miranda's eyes the night she had gone back home. Their daughter had spent four days with them before her vampire side became apparent. It was obvious she didn't need to feed on blood to survive, but what vampire could resist when they were connected to a luscious supply?

"Make a few changes to your diet, take your supplements and drink plenty of fluids," Dr. Green ordered, "and hopefully I won't see you again until it's time to deliver."

"Does that mean I can go home?" Elena asked hopefully.

"Yeah," Dr. Green smiled, "as soon as we get you unhooked from everything you can go. I've already signed your discharge papers."

Elijah waited until they were all settled in the car before bringing up the theory. "Could she be feeding from you Elena?"

"Do you think?" She smoothed her t-shirt down. Elena was nearly six months along but under the loose material it was all but impossible to see the bump. "She didn't drink any while she was here."

"She didn't hesitate to reach for it though when it was in front of her," Rebekah leaned against the back seat and looked up at the sun-roof. She remembered the way Miranda had reached back for Elena when Kol had spun her around to face the bewildered parents. "Someone that young wouldn't be able to resist blood when it's presented to them."

"Guess I better take my vitamins," Elena chuckled and shook the bag with the new prescription. She yawned and leaned back against the seat; her eyes drifted shut before Elijah drove through the town square.

When Elena opened her eyes it was to see Elijah laying a blanket over her body. Turning her head she found she was in her bedroom.

"Elena," he sat on the edge of her bed when she propped herself up.

"Elijah," she covered her yawn with her hand. "Where'd Rebekah go?"

"She ran back to the school to get her car," he smiled and rolled up his sleeves, "apparently she picked you up and ran to the hospital. I have to say I'm very grateful to her for that."

"As long as she doesn't run me that fast when I'm awake," Elena paled. "It's a tad too fast for me." She sat up when her stomach rumbled. "What time is it?"

"A little after one," he checked his watch. Elijah stood and offered her a hand when she swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"I missed lunch," Elena stretched and rolled her shoulders back. She made her way downstairs. "I passed out on the way to the cafeteria."

"Then let's get you something to eat," he wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her temple.


	31. Monday, June 20, 2011

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I definitely got carried away here.  
> There is SMUT in this chapter. You have been forewarned.

9:47 PM

Rebekah had nearly had an aneurysm when she found out her first prom was going to be held in the school gym. Naturally she had butted in. Normally Rebekah and Caroline might have butted heads over something like this, but they had both agreed that the prom could stand to be classed up. Caroline had been more than on board when Rebekah had suggested they use the mansion instead. The blondes had banded together to compel the necessary people. Klaus had taken a little more convincing, but in the end a few well-chosen words from Caroline had won him over.

Klaus had then nearly had an aneurysm when Rebekah had informed him that she had signed up all of her big brothers as chaperones.

Kol had smirked and asked if she was sure she really wanted him chaperoning her little human friends. The mischievous glint in his eyes had Elijah revoking his chaperoning responsibilities.

Elijah had taken it in good stride even though babysitting a couple hundred teenagers was not his idea of a fun evening.

Elena could just make out the click of her heels as she crossed the ballroom to the low table by the stairs. She poured herself a glass of punch and moved to lean against one of the many pillars that had been strewn with miniature lights. She lifted the glass to her lips and looked out over the sea of students in formal wear. Her nose wrinkled when she tilted the cup and smelled the contents.

“Kol,” she called him over when she saw him standing reasonably close to her.

“Yes, darling,” Kol smirked.

Elena rolled her eyes. She had given up on trying to break Kol of his pet names; over the months it had become clear that he called everyone ‘darling’ anyway. “This punch smells off,” she eyed the red contents of her cup, “did you do something?”

“Maybe,” he admitted with a shrug, “I thought the party could use a little livening up.”

“What did you do?” Elena pressed her lips into a slight frown when he took the cup from her and passed her a bottle of water.

“I may have emptied a bottle of Nik’s strongest scotch into the punch bowl,” Kol winked.

“You’re a horrible chaperone,” she scolded and shook her head.

“That’s why Elijah stripped me of the job,” Kol wiggled his eyebrows and handed Elena’s glass to a passing student. “Steer clear of the punch, Elena, I wouldn’t want my niece getting injured.” He laid his hand on her stomach and leaned over. “Keep your mother out of trouble Miranda,” he whispered to the baby bump, “she has a tendency to bite off more than she can chew.”

“I do not,” Elena uncapped the water and took a long drink. She was about to push Kol’s hand away when she felt a flutter in her abdomen.

“Woah,” Kol’s eyes grew wide, “what is that?” He pressed his hand a little harder to her stomach and was rewarded with a firm push on his palm. “Has she done that before?”

Elena shook her head and put her hand on her stomach. Over the last few weeks she had developed quite the bump which was now being showcased by her prom dress, but this was the first time she had felt Miranda kick.

“It’s the first time,” she started looking around the room but she couldn’t see Elijah anywhere. She did however catch sight of more than a few of her classmates staring at her and Kol. Elena couldn’t make out their whispers, but she had a decent idea about what they were talking about; the way their eye’s darted from Kol to her swollen stomach made it obvious.

There were very few people who knew the identity of her baby’s father; their inner circle was actually made up of her best friends and his family. Not even the Salvatores knew; she had to assume that Damon knew she was pregnant though since Stefan knew.

“Kol,” Elena whispered when he straightened up, “what are they talking about?”

He followed her eyes towards the whispering teenagers. Kol turned back to her and focused on the conversation taking place in the middle of the ballroom. His eyes twinkled in amusement. “They are speculating over Miranda’s parentage,” Kol winked. “Apparently word around school had Stefan or Matt as the father, but now they’re not so sure.”

“Oh?” Elena raised her eyebrows. She had suspected that was what they were talking about.

“Yup,” Kol popped the ‘p’. “Now they are thinking you and I are a thing.” Kol grinned and wrapped his arm around her waist.

“You wish,” Elena rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the ribs.

“Oh darling,” Kol held a hand over his heart, “you wound me.”

“You’ll heal,” Elena rolled her eyes.

“Oh right,” he nodded as if just remembering that fact.

Elena rolled her eyes and looked around the room again. Miranda had stopped kicking by the time she spotted Elijah walking towards her.

“Am I interrupting?” He came to a stop before them.

“Never,” Elena smiled and finished her water. She looked down when he narrowed his eyes at the bottle of water. “Kol spiked the punch,” she explained.

“Of course he did,” Elijah rolled his eyes. He turned to his youngest brother and tilted his head. “How drunk should I expect people to become?”

“It was one of Nik’s better bottles of scotch,” Kol shrugged and took Elena’s empty water bottle. He backed away before Elijah could give him a proper scolding.

“Could be worse,” Elena shrugged.

“How so?”

“He could have let me drink the punch like I was about to do,” she snickered.

“Thankfully Kol has more sense than that,” Elijah shook his head. He offered her a hand: “would you care to dance, Elena?”

Elena tilted her head back and considered the offer before accepting his hand. She followed him out onto the dancefloor.

Elijah pulled her into a classical dance form. He met her eyes when his hand settled on her hip. “What were you and my brother discussing?”

“The latest gossip amongst the senior class,” Elena’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “Apparently I’m a topic for debate.”

“Really?” He guided her across the ballroom.

“Yeah,” Elena nodded. “Caroline told me about it when I started to show last month. Nobody has actually asked me about it yet.”

“And what are they saying?”

“Well,” Elena’s hand slid up his shoulder to his neck, “they’ve been speculating on the paternity of the baby.”

“What names have come up?” Elijah pulled her a little closer and settled his hand on her back.

“Caroline won’t tell me,” Elena pursed her lips, “but according to Kol its: Stefan or Matt. I’m not sure if he was serious when he said his name was being thrown about too, or if he was just trying to get a rise out of me.”

“Knowing Kol it was probably the latter,” Elijah stopped dancing. He let go of her hand and ran his knuckle down her cheek. His eyes flickered to the left where he could hear whispers rising from a group of girls.

Elena followed his gaze. She rolled her eyes when she saw the cheerleaders blatantly staring at them. “You know,” she wrapped her arms around his neck, “I don’t think I’m going to miss high school.”

“No,” Elijah turned back to her and smirked, “but there are so many interesting people.”

“There is a handful of people from that school,” Elena laughed, “that I want to keep in my life: Bonnie, Caroline, Rebekah and Matt.”

“Can I raise an objection as far as Matt is concerned?”

“Are you jealous of a rumor?” Elena smirked.

“Of course not,” he tilted his head. “I just don’t like the insinuations that they are making.”

Elena leaned forward and brushed her lips over his.

“What are you doing, Miss Gilbert?” Elijah’s breath fanned across her chin.

“Putting the rumor mill to rest,” Elena murmured. Her hand grasped the back of his neck when she kissed him the second time. She felt her toes curl in her heels when his tongue dipped into her mouth.

Elijah sighed and stepped back when he heard Rebekah’s voice from across the ballroom telling him they had an audience. He turned his head to see several of the human chaperones giving them disapproving looks.

“It’s a very good thing you’re past the age of majority,” he remarked when he saw the English teacher heading their way, “otherwise I might find myself in a spot of trouble.”

“Can’t handle a little hot water?” Elena teased. She grinned when she felt a strong movement in her stomach. “Give me your hand.”

“Why…” Elijah trailed off when she took his right hand and laid it over her stomach. “Is that…?”

“She’s kicking,” Elena smiled when she saw the look of wonder in his eyes.

“That’s the first she’s done that,” Elijah looked up to meet her eyes.

“She was actually doing it earlier,” Elena held his hand to her stomach, “when I was talking to Kol. She stopped before you came over.”

Elijah turned his head towards the center of the room when the music cut off. He rolled his eyes when a collective groan went up among the crowd as Alaric announced that this would be the last dance of the evening.

“Do they need you for this?” Elena glanced out over the crowd. “To help clear out the mansion?” She clarified a second later.

“I don’t think I would be missed,” he spotted the teacher who had been heading towards them. She had been weigh laid by a small group of students who were blocking her path. “Why do you ask?”

“I was hoping I could talk you into another activity,” she smirked and ran her eyes over him. Elena loved the clean lines of the tuxedo he had donned for the evening, but she suddenly found she wanted to tear if off of him.

“You don’t really need to talk me into that,” Elijah steered her around. When they were out of sight of the ballroom he pushed open the door to his study.

He pushed her up against the closed door and dipped down to capture her mouth in a bruising kiss what left her breathless.

Heat pooled low in her abdomen. Elena raked her hands through his hair. She pulled on the ends of his bow tie. She pushed his jacket off when he left open mouthed kisses to her ear.

“What had gotten into you?” Elijah threaded his fingers through her hair. He bit back a moan when she removed his shirt and nipped at his collarbone.

“Baby hormones,” her fingers unfastened his belt and dipped inside his pants, “they make me want sex all the time.” Her hand closed around his stiff cock and squeezed. Elena smirked when he groaned.

Elijah stilled her hand spun her around to face the wall. He pushed her hair over her shoulder and tilted his head to lick and nip her throat. He felt his trousers sliding down so he toed off his shoes and stepped out of them.

Elena arched her neck and sighed. Elijah nibbled on the shell of her ear and unzipped her dress. The heat in her abdomen started to build into an inferno as the material pooled around her feet.

He unfastened her bra and lifted one hand to tweak her nipple all the while continuing kiss her throat. He bit her fluttering pulse point with blunt teeth and felt a delicious shiver run down her spine. He blinked in surprise when Elena spun around.

Elena caught his mouth in a kiss. She cupped his cheeks and started walking forwards until the back of his knees collided with the armchair by the fireplace. Slanting her lips she ran her tongue just inside his mouth before breaking the kiss and pushing him to sit down.

Elijah felt his breath catch in his throat when she smirked wickedly.

Elena kicked off her heels and sank to her knees. The soft groans he made when she bit and licked his throat were music to her ears. Suddenly remembering the many times Elijah had teased her relentlessly over the months Elena made sure the trail she made down his chest was slow. While she was grazing her teeth over his nipples she hooked her fingers into the sides of his boxer briefs and pulled them down over his erection. She giggled when she felt his abdomen quiver beneath her mouth.

Elena caught his hands before he could run them through her hair and placed them on the arms of the chair. She knew she had no hope of actually holding him down. Elena looked up and met his eyes when her delicate fingers closed around the base of his cock and pumped slowly.

“Elena,” his eyes clouded over with lust. Elijah groaned when she wet her lips and swirled her tongue around his tip. His head fell back against the chair when her she her red lips closed around him. “Fuck, Elena,” he grunted at the feeling of being engulfed in the wet heat of her mouth. It was rare that he would let her pleasure him like this; usually he preferred to be the one between her legs. There was just something intoxicating about the taste of her on his tongue.

Elena’s eyes sparkled as she bobbed her head up and down. With each downward pass she took a little more of him until his impressive length was down her throat. She saw his fingers take a white-knuckled grip on the arms of the chair when she swallowed around him and used her hands to fondle his balls.

Her lace panties were soaking wet, and her center ached to be touched. She was determined to finish what she started however, so rather than release his thick cock from her mouth she redoubled her efforts and slipped her hand beneath the waistband of her underwear. The baby bump meant that she couldn’t finger herself the way she had initially planned, but she could easily reach her clit; she gathered a little moisture from her slit before circling that little bundle of nerves.

Elijah felt his release coming. He might have been able to hold off a bit longer, but the combination of her wet mouth, the scent of her arousal, and the sound of her fingers where he most wanted to be had him climbing to the edge faster.

White noise filled his mind as he came apart in her mouth. He felt himself growing hard again when her tongue darted out to catch the small drop of semen that had escaped her lips.

“It’s a very good thing I can’t die,” Elijah grasped the back of her neck and kissed her hard, “because you would definitely be the death of me.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Elena shivered. The look in his eyes promised of the pleasure she was about to receive. She only hoped he wasn’t in a particularly teasing mood. She wasn’t sure how much of that she could handle after dishing it out.

Elijah lifted her at vampire speed and settled her knees on either side of his thighs.

Elena gasped. She could hear her blood pounding in her ears. She moaned loudly when the sound of tearing lace penetrated the pounding. It was a good thing Elijah’s hands were holding her steady because when he dipped his head and sucked her nipple into his mouth she melted and would have fallen backwards.

Elena’s hips rolled down. She hissed when she felt the head of his cock, wet with her saliva, glide across her slit. Her hand trailed down between them to steady him. Elena’s eyes drifted shut as she sank down.

Her dark eyes opened when he began guiding her hips slowly. She glared at him and tried to move faster, but his grip was too strong.

“Elijah,” she leant forward and tugged his ear between her teeth, “faster please, this is torture.”

“You might have thought of that when you were teasing me,” he chuckled against the column of her throat.

Elena pouted before dropping her lips to the spot just below his ear. She had discovered several months ago that this was a rather sensitive spot for Elijah and that when stimulated it had the authority to spur him into more immediate action. She nuzzled the area gently before dropping a soft kiss. She felt his pulse jump beneath her lips and grinned. Her teeth nipped at the area lightly at first before biting down hard; she was just reaching out to sooth the mark with her tongue when her back was pressed into the soft carpet in front of the fireplace.

“Are you attempting to manipulate me, Elena?” He smirked and lifted her knees over his elbows. He made a hard thrust that caused her to close her eyes and moan. He could feel her legs start to shake and knew she was getting close.

He lifted one of her legs over his shoulder and smirked when she cried out at the new angle. Every snap of his hips made him stroke her g-spot he brought one hand down and started to circle her clit.

Elena moaned and cried out his name. The combination of having her g-spot and clit simultaneously stimulated pushed her over the edge. Waves of fire spread out from her abdomen and engulfed her body in flames. She quivered around him.

Elijah continued to thrust into her. He increased his pace with her orgasm and quickly pushed her into a second before he lost his rhythm and spilled inside of her. He rolled to lie beside her and watched as her chest rose and fell rapidly in an attempt to catch her breath.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders when she slung her arm across his stomach and her leg over his knee. With his free hand he threaded her fingers with his before dropping a kiss to her sweaty brow.

“Should I be expecting more of this over the summer,” he teased, “now that you’re done with school?”

“I do hope you’re not about to call me insatiable,” Elena rested her chin on his chest and met his eyes.

“On the contrary,” Elijah ran his fingers over her bare shoulder, “I was going to call you a minx.”

Elena smirked and ran her thumb over his index finger and thumb. “I am that,” she nodded in agreement.

“Now that I think about it,” Elijah’s eyes twinkled, “you are rather insatiable as well.”

Elena rolled her eyes. She stretched up and kissed the corner of his mouth. “I’d keep my schedule open if I were you,” she whispered. “You never know when I’ll need you… I am insatiable after all.”


	32. Monday, September 5, 2011

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter got a little away from me.  
> There is only one chapter left. It is the final future scene. I'm going to put all of the future scenes together in that chapter and I'll alter the text so the bits that have already been posted are different.

2:24 PM

Elena reached for the glass of water sitting on the low coffee table beside the couch. She had officially moved into the mansion two months ago, but today she found herself back in her childhood home.

It turned out pregnancy enhanced her senses; she hadn't noticed it until that morning when Rebekah had decided the soft yellow of the nursery needed to be changed. The paint fumes had reached her where she had been reading in the library. Elena had spent about ten minutes trying to find a spot free from the smell before admitting defeat. She had picked up her purse, pecked Elijah's cheek, and hopped in her car when he swore to tell her when the fumes had dissipated.

"Hey," she turned her head towards the kitchen, "Jer?"

"Yeah?" Jeremy poked his head around the corner.

"Can you help me up?" She offered a small smile. "I forgot how low the couch was."

"Of course you did," Jeremy chuckled.

"Don't laugh at me," Elena gasped. She held a hand over her heart and pretended to be affronted. "I am very sensitive right now."

"Terribly sorry, sis," he rolled his eyes and took her arm to help her from the sofa. "I'll make sure not to laugh at you again until after my niece is born."

"That's all I ask," Elena nodded. She set her glass down on the kitchen counter before towards the bathroom.

"I'm not helping you up from there," Jeremy called after her.

"Good," Elena glanced over her shoulder, "that would be mortifying for both of us." She shut the door behind her to drown out Jeremy's laugh.

Elena was washing her hands when she felt the first twinge in her abdomen. She laid her hand over the area and exhaled when it passed. Elena waited a moment to see if it would come again before exiting the bathroom.

A soft knock sounded on the front door when she emerged. She heard her brother moving around upstairs so she went to answer the door. Her smile dissipated when she saw the man on the other side of the door.

"Hey sunshine."

"What do you want Damon?" Elena crossed her arms.

"What no pleasantries?" Damon stepped forward and placed his hands on either side of her head on the door frame.

Elena shuddered when he moved into her personal space. She resisted the urge to step back and let him know he was intimidating her.

Thankfully when she left she signed the house over to Jeremy so the only vampires with an invitation were the ones he had invited inside; it was a very short list comprised of Elijah, Caroline, Kol, and Rebekah. Jeremy was still hesitant to allow Klaus entry into the house, and Klaus didn't blame him for it.

Elena bit down her smile when he found himself stopped by the invisible barrier created by her threshold. "No, Damon, no pleasantries." She glared when an ache settled in her back. "The last time I saw you; you broke my ribs and punctured a lung. So you'll have to forgive me if I don't want to spare you a pleasant word."

"Don't be like that Elena," Damon tried to enter the house again. "I was only trying to make you be quiet, so you wouldn't bring the Originals down on us."

"I wanted them to come in," Elena's fingers closed around her upper arms. She felt her knuckles turning white. "You snuck into my room. How should I have reacted to a stranger standing over my sleeping infant?"

"You should have…" Damon tilted his head. "Your infant? She was yours?"

Elena nodded slowly. "Stefan didn't tell you?"

"Stefan knew?" Damon's jaw clenched. Elena was fairly certain she heard the wood split under his hands. His eyes dropped to her swollen stomach. "And now you're having another one."

Damon's voice rose in volume until Elena was surprised Jeremy didn't come running down the stairs to investigate. She would have welcomed her little brother's interference right now… especially if he came with one of Alaric's crossbows.

"What is wrong with you Elena? You've moved into the Mikaelson mansion. You're playing into Klaus' hands. All he wants is for you to continue your bloodline so he gets another doppelganger in 500 years. Where's the first one?" Damon peered around her as if expecting the child to come teetering around a corner.

"There's only one Damon," Elena exhaled. She loosed her arms to place her hands over the twinge in her stomach; it was a little stronger this time. "My daughter was sent back in time. She was visiting for a few days before we could send her home. Stefan knew that; I'm a little surprised he didn't tell you."

"Whose kid is it Elena?" Damon took a step back and raked his eyes over her large stomach. "Last rumor I heard said it was Matt's."

Elena took a deep breath and exhaled slowly once, twice, three times. She was quite surprised to find he didn't know. Elena was certain Stefan knew; Rebekah had said he'd asked her after the prom and she had confirmed it. It was more than a little shocking to find Damon out of the loop.

"I'm going to assume Stefan was trying to save you a second bout of torture," Elena reached out and gripped the doorknob, "you do have a habit of asserting your opinions where they're not wanted. You should really see someone about that; it's going to get you killed one day."

"Why would knowing the identity of the father get me tortured?" Damon slid his hands into his pockets and tilted his head.

"Because it's Elijah's."

"Very funny Elena," Damon smirked, "you've had a good laugh. Now tell me the truth."

"I just did Damon," Elena sighed. "Not that it was any of your business to begin with."

"Oh come on Elena," Damon's eyebrows lowered, "the jokes over. Vampire can't have children."

"They gain the ability during certain celestial events," Elena closed her eyes and rolled her shoulders back. A cramp was running from the top of her stomach down to her pelvis. "It's magic; Bonnie might be able to explain it better, but rest assured Damon, Elijah is the father of my child. Now I'm going to shut this door and call him. If you have any sense of self-preservation you'll be gone before he gets here."

She slammed the door in his face and leaned against the wood. Her hands slid down to hold the underside of her swollen stomach and released a shaky breath.

"You want me to kill him?" Jeremy leaned against the top of the stairs.

"I'd prefer it if you got the phone," Elena rolled her neck forward and took a few steps forward so she could grab the railing.

"You alright?" Jeremy was at her side a moment later.

"I think I might be in labour…"

Jeremy pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Elijah. "What's it feel like?"

Elena pressed her lips together in thought. "You know that feeling when someone takes a hold of your t-shirt and pulls it tight around your back?"

"Sure," Jeremy nodded. He pressed the phone to his ear and counted the rings.

"That's what my skin feels like… like all of the skins being pulled around to my back. Someone's holding it there for a second and then letting go."

"When did it start?"

"I felt the first one when I was in the bathroom," Elena bit her lip and straightened up. "And then again just now."

_"Hello?"_

"Hey, here's Elena," Jeremy passed her the phone.

"Elijah?"

_"Elena,"_ she could hear the smile in his voice,  _"the smell hasn't quite gone yet."_

"That's not why I'm calling," she smiled and tried not to giggle. "Damon showed up at the front door."

_"Are you alright?"_

"I'm fine," Elena rubbed her stomach and felt Miranda kick. She watched Jeremy disappear into the living room and return with her purse. "I told him to leave."

_"Is that why you've called?"_

"No I just thought I'd let you know," Elena moved to look through the peephole, "I was kind of hoping he'd leave when you picked up," she murmured. "I actually called because I think I might be in labour." She inhaled sharply when her skin was pulled taut again.

"Another one?" Jeremy handed Elena her purse and placed his hand on her lower back when she motioned to it.

"Mmhmm," Elena nodded. She refocused on the phone when the muscles loosened. "Elijah? Elijah?" She pulled the phone away to see that the call had ended.

She jumped when the doorknob twisted against her hip. She stepped back and opened the door.

"That was fast," Elena passed the phone back to Jeremy.

"I dropped everything and ran."

"Literally," Elena stepped onto the porch and peered around. "I'm pretty sure we have a little time… you didn't have to race over."

"I'm not so sure about that," Jeremy locked the door and pulled it shut. "The first one might have been slow but the last two were fairly close together."

"How close?" Elijah took her arm and helped her down the stairs.

"One was ending when I called you," Jeremy opened the passenger door of Elena's car, "and another came on a few seconds before you got here."

"We might not have that much time," Elijah chuckled. He took the keys from Jeremy and flashed around the car.

Elena found she had to agree with the pregnancy books: the only thing predictable about labour was that it was unpredictable. Her contractions were coming frequently when Elijah pulled into the hospital fifteen minutes later.

Elena became unaware of everything else but the powerful contractions in her abdomen. It might have been six hours or it might have been less than one. All she knew was that Dr. Green was telling her to push, and that next time they should be sure to get to the hospital faster.

Elena might have cursed the ground Elijah walked on, but the pain was too intense. It was all she could do to hold his hand and bare down. Sweat ran down her spine as she pushed. She had asked about the epidural the second they had arrived, but she was too far along.

When the tiny cry filled the room Elena felt her muscles relax. She was gasping and swallowing her tears as the freshly cleaned baby was placed in her arms.

"There you are," Elena sniffled. She smiled and kissed her newborn daughters forehead. "Look how small she is." Elena laughed. She carefully placed the tiny bundle in Elijah's arms when he reached down.

"Elijah?" Elena frowned. She swallowed nervously when she saw his small frown. "What's wrong? Is she okay?" Her eyelids grew heavy as the extent of her ordeal caught up with her.

"She's perfect," he ran a finger over Miranda's cheek. His thumb gently passed over the sensitive area beneath her closed eyes.

"Lemesee," Elena squinted. She mentally accepted the fact that she was exhausted when the room blurred around the edges. She could just make out the thin veins under her baby's eyes.

"Rest Elena," Elijah kissed her cheek, "she's not going anywhere." He frowned when her eyes drifted shut.

The colour had completely drained from her face. Closing his eyes he inhaled deeply; he hadn't noticed before. Initially he had thought it normal. Wasn't labour, after all, known as a bloody business? Now that it was done, and her face relaxed, he wasn't so sure. He shielded Miranda's face from the nurses so they wouldn't see, but he had to bite down on his cheek to keep his own face under control. There was far too much blood in the room.

"Dr. Green…" Elijah called the woman over from the chart she was filling out. He paled when he couldn't hear it. "Dr. Green!"

"What is it?" She froze when she saw Elena. "Shit!" She cursed again when placed her fingers on Elena's throat and came up with the same result Elijah had.

After over a thousand years Elijah had honed his senses. Very little ever escaped his notice, but the next ten minutes passed in a blur. When his siblings approached him in the hall he could only remember being ushered out by a nurse.

"There she is," Rebekah cupped the child's head and crooned. "That was fast."

"What are you doing out here?" Klaus tilted his head when he noted the shell-shocked expression on his brother's face. "Elijah?"

Rebekah finally looked up when she realized her brother was not going to relinquish his child. Her breath caught in her throat when the door behind him opened and the thick smell of blood reached her nose… too much blood. She saw around Elijah's body a nurse lifting a sheet up and over the still body on the bed.

Dr. Green stepped out. She shrank back when Elijah turned to her with a glare. To her credit she managed to stand her ground fairly well. "I'm sorry," she swallowed nervously, "we did everything we could, but she was already gone."

The doctor went on to explain but Elijah heard very little of it past the hemorrhage. She was obviously lying to him. There was no way Elena was dead. She couldn't be dead… Miranda had known her. She had recognized her mother. She had called her 'mama'.

He didn't realize he was shaking his head until a loud shriek reached his ears. He instinctively stepped aside to shield Miranda when the nurse came careening out of the delivery room. His eyebrows shot upwards when he looked inside to see Elena sitting up straight on the bed.

Elena grimaced and held up a hand to block out the bright sunlight streaming through the window. She smiled gratefully when the blinds were drawn and ran her tongue over her aching gums.

"Thanks," she ran a hand over her throat, "that was really bright."

"Elena?"

She lifted her burning eyes to Elijah. He had taken a seat on the side of her hospital bed and was watching her carefully. Her fingers gently combed the dark hair on top of Miranda's head. She met his dark eyes when he repeated her name.

"What?" She blinked in surprise when he cupped her cheek and peered into her eyes. She ran her tongue over her gums again and saw his eyes widen.

Elijah looked at Miranda before lifting his eyes to her again.

"Elijah," Elena swallowed. "You're really starting to freak me out here. What's wrong?" Her eyes caught sight of Rebekah when she walked in followed by Klaus and Kol who shut the door behind him.

"How are you feeling Elena?" Rebekah moved to stand beside her bed and felt her forehead.

Elena tilted her head and regarded the vampires in her room. "I'm tired," she shrugged, "a little hungry," she took Miranda and held her close, "giving birth really works up an appetite."

"I'll bet," Kol reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the bag he had procured.

"You do know I don't drink that, right?" Elena narrowed her eyes at the proffered bag. She frowned when the ache in her mouth intensified.

"You do now," Kol passed the bag to Elijah. "Rebekah and I took care of the nurse and Dr. Green. Luckily she hadn't recorded anything yet."

"What…"

"You're in transition, love," Klaus supplied. A muscle in his jaw ticked. "You suffered a uterine atony… according to Dr. Green. Apparently it can happen when labour happens so quickly."

"I… I… I…"

"Maybe we should give her a minute," Rebekah pushed her brothers outside. She closed the door on Elena and Elijah.

"I… I died?"

Elijah could do nothing but nod. "I'm sorry," he found his voice again.

"For what?" Elena felt her brow furrow. Over the past few months she had been considering turning. What other choice did she have if she wanted a real future with Elijah and her child?

"You died Elena," he ran his hand back through his hair, "and I am partially responsible for that. You must hate me right now," he murmured.

"I don't hate you, Elijah," Elena caught his hand, "I wasn't fond of you while I was pushing, but I don't hate you. I figured eventually I would have to transition… I just hadn't thought it would be this soon."

"You were considering turning?" He squeezed her hand and stared.

"Well, yeah," she smiled. "If you think you're getting rid of me that easily you've got another thing coming. I love you, Elijah, and it's not like you could go the other way, so I don't see that I really had another choice."

"Did I hear you correctly?" He leaned closer over and lifted his hand to cup her cheek. The blood bag laid momentarily forgotten on the bed.

"Are you getting hard of hearing in your old age?" Elena teased. She giggled when his eyes narrowed. "I'll repeat myself just in case: I love you."

"I love you too," he brushed his lips over hers and swallowed her smile. "My hearing's just fine by the way."

"Oh good," her hand settled on his chest, "then you'll hear me when I say open the blood bag. I'm very hungry, and I have this strange feeling that's what I'm craving."

She let him take Miranda when he passed her the blood bag. Her eyes narrowed as she eyed the thick liquid. She had gagged at the sight of it that morning, but now she found her mouth was watering. A sharp pain ripped through her mouth as her new fangs descended.

She had expected the blood to taste the way it did when she was human. As a child she had cut her hand and instinctively put it in her mouth; the heavy copper taste had made her gag then. Now she found the copper had dimmed. The blood was like liquid heaven on her tongue, the sweetest ambrosia she had ever tasted; all too soon it was gone and she was left wanting more.

The speed at which her hands moved when Miranda cried surprised her so much that she froze for a second before holding her child to her chest.

"Are you alright?" Elijah ran his thumb over her lower lip. He knew she must still be hungry, but her attention had been diverted.

"I'm okay," Elena nodded. "I think I'm okay," she amended, "I don't want to let her go."

"I can't say that I blame you," he bent and kissed their daughters head. "I think she's hungry."

"I think you're right," Elena frowned when she looked at her daughter. "I think we're going to need some formula. Breast feeding is definitely out of the question now."

"I'll ask at the…" Elijah trailed off when the door opened and Rebekah passed them a bottle.

"I figured you'd be needed that," she smiled. "I also called Bonnie; she's going to make you a daylight ring." Rebekah motioned to Elena's face. "You might want to get that under control before any one comes in here."

"Try taking a few deep breaths," Elijah tucked her hair behind her ear and watched Miranda eat.

"'Nothing is ever as daunting after three deep breaths'," Elena quoted after doing as he said. She smiled when she felt the veins stop writhing. "My mother used to say that," she explained when she caught the stares of the Originals.

"She was a wise woman," Elijah kissed her cheek.

Elena nodded. They lapsed into silence; the only sound in the room was Miranda sucking on the bottle. Elena's brow furrowed when she laid Miranda over her shoulder and rubbed her back.

"Whose blood turned me?" She wracked her mind but found she couldn't remember drinking any… although she had a few memories from Damon that she would address at a later date. "Have you been lacing my drinks?" She arched one eyebrow.

"No," Elijah shook his head. "I think it was Miranda. Her blood was still in you after the delivery."

"Miranda turned me?"

"So it would seem," Rebekah leaned down to kiss her nieces hair.

Elena looked into her daughter's face when she took the bottle up again. "You are going to be a handful aren't you?"

"She's half Mikaelson," Kol stuck his head around the door as he ushered Bonnie inside, "that was always a given, darling."


	33. March 2012

_Elena cradled Miranda's head to her chest and rocked the baby back and forth. Her attempts to sooth the child were in vain. The blood-curdling screams from outside the doors made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end; there was no way of blocking them out. Nothing could shield them from what was coming._

_From the other side of the wood she could hear the soft calls of the witch. Elena held her daughter closer to her breast. She knew she would die before handing over her child; she also knew that with nearly every dagger in play it was a real possibility._

_If only they had known sooner than they could have attempted to run. Katherine had once said that a life on the run was no life at all and the Originals had echoed the sentiment, but Elena would have done it gladly if it meant her daughter stayed safe in her arms._

_"I have an idea."_

_Elena twisted her neck to the man who had just finished barricading the door with Caroline. His eyes shifted from Miranda to Bonnie who was standing a little ways from Elena._

_"What is it?" Elena was ready to try anything at this point._

_"It won't stop her immediately, but it will buy us some time so we can come up with a plan," he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Something tells me you won't like it, darling."_

_"Don't call me darling," her voice lacked the usual bite under the strain of her emotions._

_"You're right I don't like this," Elena shook her head and backed away from the large bed._

_"You know she'll be safe," he insisted. "You were there Elena. You were there the entire time."_

_"We don't know if the spell to send her back worked though," Elena felt tears well in her eyes. She kissed the top of Miranda's head and looked at Bonnie with worried eyes._

_"It will work Elena," Bonnie promised. "You will hold your baby girl again; I swear it. In four days there is a full moon and she will be home."_

_Elena eyed the magical paraphernalia laid out on the bed. "What if something goes wrong? What if, and I'm sorry for even suggesting this, what if you're not here? What happens then?"_

_Bonnie lit a few candles on the nightstand before igniting a small bowl of herbs. She left the spell for a moment and wrapped her arms around Elena's trembling shoulders. "My spell… the one I used in the past… it will send Miranda back. I promise Elena; it is going to work with or without me here." She stared into Elena's teary eyes until she nodded once._

_Bonnie held out her arms for Miranda._

_"No," Elena sniffled and twisted her body to keep Bonnie from taking the baby. "No, I'll do it." She released a shuddering breath before laying her daughter in the centre of the large circle Bonnie had drawn on the bed. "Explain it to me one more time."_

_Bonnie looked over her shoulder to meet his dark eyes. The lack of sound from the surrounding grounds told her there was not enough time to explain the spell and perform it. She nodded signifying that he should explain while she started chanting in Latin._

_"The spell will send her back to a place she'll be safe," he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. "It will send her back before she was conceived. In four days we will bring her back after we've gathered the daggers and taken care of her."_

_Elena nodded. The flames from the candles grew when Bonnie used a knife to slice into Elena's palm. Elena turned her wrist so the blood fell onto the center candle and watched as the wound knit itself back together._

_She swiped angrily at the tears coursing down her cheeks when Miranda disappeared from the bed. The imprint of her purple onesie stuck in her mind's eye._

_Elena squared her shoulders and clenched her jaw. She stood tall with the three who remained with her. She had to remind herself for the umpteenth time that she was not a helpless human being anymore. She remembered Caroline telling her something that Klaus had said a few days after Elena found out she was pregnant when she had asked him if he would ever want to be human again. The words repeated like a mantra in her mind; strong, ageless, fearless… strong, ageless, fearless… strong, ageless, fearless…_

_Facing the angry witch in Elijah's bedroom she had to admit to herself that she didn't feel that way._

_Lightening flashed behind the bottomless brown eyes. "You foolish girl," she spat. "You let the ungrateful child fill your mind with her lies. I would have raised your daughter as my own and left you to live in peace. Now I think I'll kill you after taking the child."_

_"She's gone," Elena spoke with more confidence then she felt. If she had learnt anything as a cheerleader it was 'fake-it-till-you-make-it'. "You'll never find her."_

_"I don't understand your reasoning, Elena," she eyed the symbols and scattered herbs on the bedding, "with me you knew she would be well cared for, but you chose to send her away."_

_"Elena chose to send Miranda away from you," he glanced at the stiff set of her shoulders. "There is nothing for you here now aunt."_

_She looked over her youngest nephew and the doppelganger at his side. "I find I don't believe you Kol." Dahlia's eyes flickered to the still smoldering bowl. "I think you sent her away to buy yourselves time… no mother gives up her own child so easily."_

_"You think that was easy?" Elena cried. She felt her fangs descend as the veins under her eyes blackened and writhed. "This was the hardest decision I've ever had to make." She pointed wildly to the bed._

_"I don't doubt it was my dear," Dahlia's eyes glittered. "I doubt that you've actually given her up. I think you've tried to buy yourselves time, and that your little girl will be back here in a few days." She smiled sweetly. "The only question is: who will be left standing."_

_Elena didn't hesitate. She spun on her heel and flashed through the balcony doors behind Caroline and Kol who had picked up Bonnie. They didn't stop until they reached the entrance to the caves._

_"Now what?" Bonnie gasped for breath and slapped away Kol's hands._

_"Now we find my siblings," Kol peered into the darkness, "before she figures out what we're doing."_

_"You think they'll be in here somewhere?" Caroline followed his gaze._

_"Yes," Kol led them inside. "There is a cavern inside that vampires and werewolves cannot answer unless of course they've been neutralized and placed inside by a witch."_

_"If they are stuck inside, and we can't enter then how do we get them out?" Elena blinked back her tears._

_"That's what Bonnie's for," he offered her a tight-lipped smile._

_"I'm not sure I've got the physical strength for this," Bonnie glanced back over her shoulder._

_"You don't need to physically pull the daggers out, Bonnie," Kol leaned against the entrance of the cave. "Try using a spell."_

_Bonnie nodded before focusing her energy on the Original vampires laid out on the floor of the cave. The daggers flew into the air with a sharp sound before clattering to the floor. Bonnie picked them up and passed them to Kol._

_"How long will it take them to wake up?" Elena's eyes were glued to Elijah._

_"Typically it takes a few hours," Kol glanced down at her._

_"We don't have a few hours," Elena groaned. She remembered waiting several hours for Elijah to wake up the time she had removed his dagger. She had hoped the length of time was co-related to how long he had been under. "Is there a way to speed this up?"_

_"Blood," Kol nodded. "Blood will revive them almost instantly. And in the case of Nik blood is the only way to wake him up."_

_"Bonnie," Elena looked at her friend pleadingly, "would you please…"_

_"I don't want to be drained in a cave," Bonnie shook her head. "Kol, why don't you run and bring back some blood?"_

_"And where would you propose I get it?"_

_"The Boarding House," Caroline said, "Damon and Stefan keep the fridge fully stocked."_

_Kol nodded before flashing away. The girls stood in tense silence for close to ten minutes before he returned with several blood bags. "Put a little on their mouths and then get on this side of the door."_

_Elijah's dark eyes narrowed when he stepped inside and found no sign of her. Up until that point he hadn't asked after Miranda; he had assumed she was in the care of Jeremy. The assumption had continued until they had stepped into the lake house._

_"Elena, where is Miranda?" The panic in his voice echoed in the open space._

_Elena collapsed against the kitchen wall. The enormity of the day finally caught up with her. Her hands ran back through her hair and pulled sharply on the strands._

_Elijah caught her sliding body and held her steady. He felt as if he had never known true fear until the moment he saw her break down in his arms. Lifting her trembling chin his eyes focused on the wriggling veins under her wet eyes. The tears left glistening tracks down her cheeks. His voice caught in his throat when he repeated the question._

_"Where is our daughter?" Had Dahlia taken her? Was she lost to them?_

_Elena swallowed and forced herself to take three deep breaths. Her mother always said that nothing ever seemed as daunting after three deep breaths._

_"2010," she bit her lip to stop the trembling, "with you. Turns out Miranda landing in the past wasn't an accident." Her mother was wrong._

_"You sent her back?" He froze and stared at her with wide eyes. "Elena?"_

_She nodded quickly. "Kol suggested it… and we were out of options… Dahlia had made it inside the house Elijah." Her voice broke when she saw the firm set of his jaw. He was still famished and the knowledge that she'd sent his child away, even for her own safety, was causing his anger to rise. "I-I didn't see another choice… please tell me there was no other choice…"_

_"There was no other choice," he assured her. "You did what you had to do." He wrapped his arms around her shaking shoulders. "How long until she comes back?"_

_"Four days," Kol set a cooler of blood bags on the table. He opened it and passed two to each of his siblings._

_"We have four days to figure out how to get rid of Dahlia once and for all," Caroline opened the blood bag when Klaus struggled with it. Kol hadn't brought enough to the cave._

_"I might be able to help with that."_

_Six heads snapped to the door at superhuman speed. The flash of lightening outside illuminated the woman's blond hair._

_"Last time you tried to help Dahlia survived and desiccated three of us," Klaus hissed._

_"I made a mistake," she breathed. "I thought the spell would work. I thought it would render her mortal."_

_"You thought?" Elijah glared at her. "How are we to know you were not working with her? We know nothing about you."_

_"For all we know you've led her right to us," Kol's hands curled around the back of one of the dining room chairs until his knuckles turned white, "an agent of our dear aunt._

_"She was the one who raised you after all; there is something to be said for loyalty," Klaus drained another blood bag._

_"You're wrong about me." Freya lifted her chin and glared at him. "I loathe that woman more than you could ever know. She was the devil who took everything from me: my love, my will to live, my ability to die, and my child. Believe me when I say I want her dead."_

_There was a moment of tense silence. Elena considered snapping Freya's neck. Since she was under a plethora of protection spells it wouldn't actually kill her. Freya had warned them a few days ago and offered them a spell that would kill Dahlia. Only it hadn't worked. Dahlia survived the weapon they had bound the concoction to and come back with a vengeance; because of Freya's mistake she had to send her daughter away._

_They had very few options at the moment though, so Elena swallowed her anger. "What do we do?"_

_"We need to collect the ingredients again: sacred soil from her homeland, the ashes of her oppressors, and the blood of the one person she loves most." Freya counted off the ingredients. "Combining them together will not kill her, but it will make her mortal. If we combine them we can make a field that will strip away her immortality."_

_"She could then be killed," Elijah took Elena's trembling hand, "by any means?"_

_"Yes," Freya nodded. "That's the spell I gave you the first time."_

_"Then why are we trying it again?" Elena cried. Her hand clenched tightly. She blinked when she heard a snap. "Sorry," she apologized._

_"It's fine," Elijah grunted when the bones in his hand healed. "Elena is right," he turned to Freya, "why are trying the same spell again?"_

_"Because I got the wrong ingredient," Freya sighed. "The blood was from the wrong witch."_

_"And who pray tell is the right witch?" Elena growled._

_"Our mother."_

_"Well that might be a problem," Klaus paced across the room, "seeing as she's dead."_

_"Didn't you hang on to her body though?" Kol's head spun to his half-brother. "You were carting her around with the rest of us for centuries. Where is mother's coffin?"_

_"If I had her body I might be able to get some blood from her," Freya's eyes flickered from Klaus to Kol. "Where is she?"_

_Klaus rubbed the back of his neck and grimaced. "In the basement at the mansion."_

_"That might be a problem," Caroline ran her hands through her hair. She relaxed marginally when Klaus placed his hand on her hip. "Dahlia's taken over the mansion. She could destroy the body."_

_"No she can't," Klaus shook his head. "Her coffin was reinforced by Ayana. Only a descendant of Ayana can open it."_

_"We need to get mother's coffin out of the mansion," Rebekah tapped her foot impatiently._

_"We also need Norwegian dirt and Viking ash," Elijah finished. "Neither of which we can get in this country."_

_"Then we split up," Elena decided. "I'm staying here. I won't be leaving this town until my daughter is back in my arms."_

_"I'm not leaving either," Elijah said. "We'll get mother out of the mansion."_

_"I'll stay to open the coffin," Bonnie nodded. "Who is going for the dirt and ash?"_

_"I'll get the jet fueled up," Klaus reached for the lake house phone. He was unsurprised when Caroline volunteered to go with him._

_Kol paused in the doorway of his home and listened. When he heard no sound indicating life in the mansion he used his supernatural speed to reach the basement. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dark but when they did he could easily make out the neat row of coffins; there were five in total._

_Tiptoeing along the line he lifted each lid marginally until he landed on one that would not budge. He considered the length of wood carefully as he thought of the best approach to remove the casket from the mansion. Perhaps it would be easier to call Bonnie and have her open it here; that thought soon dashed out of his mind when he heard the tell-tale sound of a human heartbeat overhead._

_Kol cursed silently when a hand closed over his shoulder. He glared at Elijah and motioned to the coffin._

_"I thought you could use an extra set of hands," Elijah murmured. He moved to take one end of the heavy mahogany._

_"I'm fully capable of liberating a coffin on my own," Kol quipped as he moved into position. "It just would have been a little awkward."_

_Elijah rolled his eyes and lifted the coffin. In a matter of seconds they had exited the mansion and laid the wooden box on the back steps of the Gilbert house._

_"What kept you?" Bonnie dropped to her knees. Her fingers smoothed over the surface before lifting the lid with ease._

_"Are you sure this is going to work?" Elena rubbed her arms furiously. She couldn't get warm. She couldn't shake the feeling that they were fighting a lost cause and that she would never hold her baby girl again._

_Freya looked up from where she had finished binding the ingredients together. "I'm sure," she pointed to the four objects she had bound the spell to. "If we bury these at each point of the compass it will create a field that will render her mortal."_

_"What's wrong with just placing them?" Elijah wrapped his arms around Elena's waist. She immediately sank back into his chest._

_"She would see them."_

_Freya nodded her agreement while simultaneously glaring at her mother. She had been mildly surprised when Esther chose to help them so quickly._

_"How do you propose to get her into the field then?" Kol passed the enchanted objects to Klaus, Rebekah, and Caroline. He kept one in his hand and moved to the northern end of the field in which they stood._

_"By dangling something she can't resist."_

_Elena tilted her head back to watch the full moon as it finished its ascent into the night sky. Miranda would be sent back to them in a matter of moments. Bonnie's spell would return her child to the present in the same place she had left the past._

_Elena's eyes landed on Bonnie where she was busy casting a spell to ensure that Dahlia would be unable to see them from the mansion windows; the mansion that was less than twenty feet to the left of them. Realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Her eyes lighted on the ground as a glowing ball of light appeared in front of her toes._

_"No," she hissed and broke from Elijah to crouch on the ground. Her hands reached out as the light faded away and closed around the tiny body of Miranda. "No," Elena shook her head and pulled her daughter to her chest._

_Her protests came too late. Over her shoulder she heard the double doors of the mansion crash against the walls with a resounding bang._

* * *

Thursday, March 8, 2012

8:17 PM

"What was wrong with just opening the door?" Klaus grumbled.

Elena had to admit that Dahlia had a flair for the dramatic.

Spinning around she vowed to maim Freya later. She stood immobile and waited with baited breath for Dahlia to step forward into the field.

"I knew it," Dahlia smirked. Her eyes landed on the infant now sucking on her fingers. "I knew it. No mother gives up her own child so easily."

Dahlia was about to step onto the dew covered grass when Elijah shifted to stand protectively in front of Elena and the baby. His movement revealed the stationary figure that was his mother.

Dahlia froze. Her eyes widened as she exhaled sharply. "Esther," she breathed.

Elijah took advantage of Dahlia's distraction to turn around and check on his daughter. His hand covered the smooth expanse of her back; he could find no physical effects left behind by the spell. Elijah looked over his shoulder when the soft footsteps hit the ground.

"Do you think to distract me from my goal," Dahlia scoffed, "with the woman who turned my heart to stone?"

"That wasn't the plan," Elijah growled, "but it has worked to some extent."

"You were genuinely surprised to see her." Klaus agreed. His eyes flashed yellow when he moved to place his body between his brother and his aunt.

Dahlia's eyes flashed with an unknown emotion; they flickered to Esther once more as she finally crossed over the boundary into the killing field. The presence of her sister was almost enough to distract her from the rushing form of her niece and nephews… almost.

Loud snaps echoed against the dark garden. Kol, Klaus and Rebekah dropped with dull thuds to the ground.

Caroline snarled and ran at vampire speed. She managed to close one hand around Dahlia's throat before she was telekinetically tossed through the air in the direction of the woods. She cried out in pain when she landed on a pile of wood; the sticks broke her skin and stabbed several vital organs. Caroline made to move but stopped short when she realized just how close one of the sticks was to her heart; it would need to be pulled out exactly as it had gone in.

Dahlia considered the witches in the clearing before waving her hand. Elena squared her shoulders when she heard Freya, Bonnie and Esther hit the ground.

"I wouldn't worry about your friend dear; it's just a sleeping spell. Now… shall we continue with this folly," Dahlia sighed, "or are you ready to hand her over?"

"You'll have to pry her from my cold dead arms," Elena spat. She stole a glance at Elijah through the corner of her eye. He was standing beside her with one hand on her back and the other on Miranda's.

"You'll find I have no problem with that," Dahlia chuckled. She made quick work of the space separating her from the small family. Her head snapped to the right when Elijah moved to strike; with a twitch of her fingers he fell.

Miranda stared at Elijah. She waited with a small smile for him to pop back up and laugh; surely it was a game. When he didn't move Miranda started to cry and reach for him.

"It's alright, baby," Elena bounced on the balls of her feet, "daddy's just sleeping." Elena's eyes narrowed into a glare. "He's just sleeping…" She could hear Caroline struggling in the woods.

"I will take what is owed to me now," Dahlia stepped over her nephew to stand before Elena. "The child, please? I do not wish to kill you Elena, but I will if you resist further."

Elena shifted Miranda in her arms and bit her lip. She weighed the possible options in her mind. She could try to run leaving her loved ones behind; she knew Elijah would understand, but she also knew she wouldn't make it off the lawn. The other option was the better choice, but she was hesitant. Up until that point all Miranda had seen was her family falling down. If Elena did this there was no way to shield her child from the horror of it. She tried anyway. Elena lowered Miranda's head into her neck and prayed she wouldn't move.

"The child, Elena," Dahlia's foot tapped quickly on against the grass, "now!"

Elena closed her eyes. She tipped her head down and pressed a kiss to Miranda's head. Taking one deep breath she smelt the baby shampoo. A second breath brought the scent of Caroline's blood on the shifting wind. The third and final breath delivered the sweet scent of Dahlia's perfume.

Klaus' voice echoed in her head as her eyes snapped open to stare at Dahlia: 'strong… ageless… fearless…'

Elena nodded slowly and lowered one hand from Miranda's back.

Dahlia smiled and stepped closer to reach out. Before her hands could land on the baby there was the sickening sound of flesh and blood collapsing. Dahlia's eyes widened exponentially. She had just enough time to see Elena's hand protruding from her chest before her heart was ripped out.

"Shh…" Elena sighed deeply. "It's okay… it's okay." Elena dropped the bloody organ before collapsing to the ground. Her body sagged in relief when she realized it was over.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There it is. It's all over.  
> I've got a six chapters planned until Dealing With the Hybrids is over to.  
> Keep an eye out for the twin story. And the historical royalty AU that came into my head last night; it looks amazing in my head. :)


	34. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't plan on going any further with this particular day, but a comment got me thinking about it, so here you go.

8:46 PM

Elena crumpled the formerly white handkerchief in her hand. It had taken her a few minutes, but eventually she had managed to reach over and pull the crisp white linen from Elijah's breast pocket. She'd balanced Miranda on her knee and cleaned her hand behind her daughter's back. Thankfully the night was reasonably warm and Miranda had been dressed for December, so they were fine to remain outside.

Elena's hand shook ever so slightly when she glanced over her baby's shoulder. Dahlia had fallen face forward onto the grass, but Elena still kept Miranda facing away from her. She would have moved away, but she wasn't sure her legs were fully functional.

It had been six months and three days since her transition. Six months and three days since she became one of the most dangerous creatures on the planet. Six months and three days since she had first enjoyed the taste of blood on her tongue, but today was the first day she had resorted to violence.

Dahlia was the first life she had taken.

Elena put on a brave face for her child, but inside she was quivering. The world seemed to spin around her. She allowed the red handkerchief to fall beside her leg. She closed her eyes as her spine morphed into cooked spaghetti; the cool ground made her shiver.

"Ma-ma," Miranda lifted her head from Elena's chest and reached for her shiny hair.

"Don't pull mama's hair, little miss," Elena sighed, but she didn't try to stop her from pulling.

A soft series of snaps echoed around the garden.

Elena hugged the baby closer to her chest. The smooth blanket ruffled in the swift wind.

Elijah bolted up right and looked around frantically. His eyes lighted on the still body of Dahlia before darting to the heart a few inches to the left of her. He followed the dark line of Elena's jeans to the bloody cloth that resembled his handkerchief.

"Ba-sss-sa-ma," Miranda's eyes started to drift shut.

"Elena," he sighed in relief. He fell back to lie beside her in the grass and leaned over to kiss Miranda's cheek. "Hello sweetheart," Elijah tried to take Miranda and frowned when Elena's arms tightened. "Elena?"

"I-I c-can't…"

"What happened?" Kol sat up and flashed to kneel beside them. He rolled Dahlia over and stared at the gaping hole in her chest; her eyes were wide and unseeing.

"Honestly Elijah… you couldn't have ripped her heart out before she broke our necks?" Klaus asked. His head snapped around when he heard the sharp cry from the woods. He was gone a second later to help Caroline.

"It's not that a broken neck is bad in the long run, but I have to agree with Nik," Rebekah knelt by Kol. "You couldn't have done that sooner?"

"I didn't do this," Elijah propped himself up on his elbow and rubbed Miranda's back.

"Then who did?" Klaus returned with a weak Caroline.

"Elena," Caroline rasped. Her face was pale and drawn after having the wood pulled from her back. "Elena did it. I heard."

The Original's turned to Elena. A small amount of blood clung to the skin of her hand.

Elijah carefully moved Elena's arms and lifted Miranda who had fallen asleep. He sat up and passed the child to Rebekah before pulling Elena into a sitting position in the grass.

"I," her eyes fell on Dahlia. "I killed her."

"Yes," Elijah wrapped his arm around her shoulder and rubbed her shoulder. "She's dead."

"Miranda?"

"She's sound asleep," Rebekah adjusted the blanket. "I guess time travel takes a lot of her."

"She's safe," Elijah stood up and helped Elena to her feet.

Elena felt her knees tremble under her weight. Elijah clearly felt it to because he kept his arm around her waist. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that Dahlia would have taken her child. She took another breath and listened to her child's heart beating; it was a sound she would never grow tired of. With her third deep breath she reached down and squeezed Elijah's hand; her knees had stopped shaking.

Nothing was ever as daunting after three deep breaths. Somehow Elena didn't think this was the sort of thing her mother had in mind, but the idea stood firm.

"I'm alright now," Elena held out her arms and took back her sleeping infant. "I'm alright." There was only one reason she could ever have used to justify her actions, and that reason was now cradled in her arms.

"Good," Klaus lowered Caroline onto a bench. "Now there is just one question that needs to be answered."

"And what is that?" Elijah glanced up from Miranda's face.

"What do we do with the bodies?"

"Bodies?" Elena tilted her head. "There is only one body…" Her eyes darted around to the four witches lying in the grass.

"Two bodies," Klaus clarified. He nodded to his mother with a small frown. The garden fell silent as everyone listened to what Klaus had already heard.

Dahlia had lied. At least she had lied partially. Only two of the three witches held sleeping heartbeats. Bonnie and Freya stirred in the dew, but Esther remained still. There was no sign of life coming from the Original witch.

"She said it was a sleeping spell," Elena whispered. "She said they'd be fine."

Elijah shook his head. "She said 'your friend' would be fine. Mother was already dead…"

"He's right," Kol bent and pulled his older sister to her feet. "She was reanimated so we could use her blood, but she was already dead."

"I know this is a family matter," Caroline helped Bonnie stand up, "but might I suggest the obvious solution?"

"Go ahead," Rebekah nodded.

Caroline wrapped an arm around Bonnie's waist when she stumbled. "Typically people bury their dead relatives," she sighed, "or they cremate them."

"We're not people love," Klaus scoffed.

"I forgot," Caroline rolled her eyes, "you're the psychotic hybrid. What do psychopaths do with their family?" She glanced around the clearing at his siblings. "Are you going to stick them in a couple of coffins and cart them around with you for centuries?"

"Careful, love," Klaus stepped forward and looked down into her eyes.

Bonnie scrambled back out of the way and nodded when Elijah caught her arm to keep her from falling over.

"Do you have a better idea?" Caroline glared at him.

Elijah thought back to the last person who had been foolish enough to call his brother out on his actions. The vampire had made it twenty paces before his tongue was ripped out; the tongue had been followed by several internal organs before his heart had been torn from his body. For a few seconds he genuinely feared for Caroline's life; he was preparing to move to her defence when Klaus stepped back and shook his head.

"No," he frowned, "I don't have a better idea."

 

**Author's Note:**

> I always appreciate a good review :)


End file.
